|
|||||
|
|
||||||
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 24, No 28 (October 1), 2006: pp. 4534-4538 © 2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2006.07.3031
Uridine Diphosphate Glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1 and Irinotecan: Practical Pharmacogenomics Arrives in Cancer TherapyAbramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia PA For 50 years the dosing of anticancer drugs has been empiricalsmall phase I trials predict a tolerable dose, and subsequent studies refine the accuracy of that prediction. Because of population variability, however, a proportion of patients will inevitably experience more severe toxicity at doses selected for general use. Phase III trials routinely report grade 4 myelosuppression rates of up to 80% in certain solid tumors, without a recommendation for a dose adjustment.1,2 Historically, this risk has been regarded as acceptable, compared with the greater risk of treating the greater part of the population with ineffective doses. Approaches to individualizing therapy have been sought through pharmacokinetic analyses, but recommendations to the community have never been practical. In recent years, the potential of pharmacogenetic analyses to improve the therapeutic index of cancer therapy in pediatric malignancies has been described.3,4 For example, thiopurines are subject to variable metabolic disposition through single nucleotide polymorphisms (mutations in a gene sequence that have a prevalence of at least 1%). Clinical studies have shown that identification of the variant population has the potential to ameliorate toxicity while enhancing therapeutic outcome.5,6 Similar genetic signatures have long been sought in adult solid tumors. In colorectal cancer, several candidate genes have been identified that have the potential to determine risk of toxicity and possibly efficacy of fluoropyrimidines and oxaliplatin.7-11 Such approaches have two distinct goals: to minimize toxicity and to maximize the effectiveness of therapy. In 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took two actions that may be perceived as an advance regarding how pharmacogenetic approaches might permit us to reduce the risk of chemotherapy. First, it was determined that a fraction of the population at higher risk for adverse effects associated with the use of standard doses of irinotecan can be identified prospectively. These are patients who, by virtue of a genetic polymorphism, have a lower than normal capacity to metabolize SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. The polymorphism is found in the gene encoding uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1, which facilitates the excretion of SN-38. This risk was emphasized by a warning added to the package insert of irinotecan. The text added to the label states that "individuals who are homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele are at increased risk for neutropenia following initiation of CAMPTOSAR treatment. A reduced initial dose should be considered for patients known to be homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele."12 Second, the FDA approved a test to identify these individuals. The genetic test (Invader UGT1A1 Molecular Assay; Third Wave Technologies Inc, Madison, WI), conducted on genomic DNA isolated from peripheral blood, identifies patients homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele. Such patients clear irinotecan and its metabolites more slowly than the rest of the population, and so have greater exposure to active drug after a standard dose. The FDA-approved label for the test states that "a reduced initial dose [of irinotecan] should be considered for patients known to be homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele."13 What are practicing oncologists to do with this information? IRINOTECAN: A KEY DRUG IN COLORECTAL CANCER TREATMENT The topoisomerase I interactive drug irinotecan was introduced into clinical studies in the early 1990s, and was found to have activity in several malignancies for which limited treatment options existed, most prominently colorectal cancer.14 Added to fluorouracil (FU), irinotecan resulted in the first major advance in many years in the treatment of colorectal cancer, and the combined administration of these drugs became the standard of care.15,16 Although studies in the adjuvant treatment of colon cancer have been disappointing,17 irinotecan remains a valuable agent in managing patients with advanced disease. The toxicity of irinotecan in combination has been a concern: early studies identified dose-limiting diarrhea and neutropenia as the major adverse effects, and an aggressive preventive regimen of antidiarrheal and infection evolved. Both of these toxicities are of concern, given that severe neutropenia occurs most often in the context of accompanying diarrhea.18 An analysis of two studies of irinotecan with bolus administration of FU revealed an unacceptable early death rate, attributed largely to the combined occurrence of these two adverse effects.19 Therefore, it has been recommended that infusional FU be used in the FU/irinotecan regimen, or that doses be reduced, although the impact of the dose reduction on treatment efficacy in colorectal cancer has not been assessed.16 With either approach, the variability in toxicity has remained a concern. PHARMACOLOGY OF IRINOTECAN ACCOUNTS FOR VARIABILITY The basis of variable toxicity was evident from the initial trials of irinotecan. As with most drugs, those patients with the greatest exposure to the drug were at the highest risk of toxicity.19 The pharmacology of this class of drugs, however, is complicated. Irinotecan is a prodrug, converted to its active metabolite SN-38 by carboxylesterases, which are distributed ubiquitously in the tissues.20,21 Furthermore, both irinotecan and SN-38 are lactones that exist in a pH-dependent equilibrium with their ring-opened carboxylate forms; only the lactone is active. Given that plasma pH varies in a narrow range, most inferences regarding exposure to irinotecan or SN-38 are based on total plasma drug measurements. Excretion of the drug and its metabolites primarily is hepatic, with renal excretion playing a minor role.22 As with many drugs that undergo hepatic disposition, the excretion of SN-38 is facilitated by glucuronidation, a process catalyzed by the UGT1A family of phase II enzymes. In addition, SN-38 is subject to oxidation by the cytochrome P450 family.22 Ratain described the pharmacodynamic importance of glucuronidation by relating glucuronide formation to risk of toxicity.23,24 A relationship could be shown with both diarrhea and myelosuppression when irinotecan was administered as a single agent. Hence glucuronidation by UGT1A enzymes was investigated further as a marker of the variability in irinotecan toxicity. DETERMINANT OF DISPOSITION: UGT1A1 Like the cytochromes P450 and other enzyme families, the purpose of which is the detoxication of xenobiotics, this family of enzymes achieves broad substrate specificity through variation in the substrate-binding domain. Thus the UGT1A family of enzymes is represented in the genome by a series of four invariant exons, the transcribed product of which may be spliced to any one of nine exons representing different substrate-binding domains. The family members are thus designated UGT1A1, 1A2, and so on, in an agreed-on terminology. By virtue of this structural variability, UGT1A1 is the isoform with the greatest affinity for SN-38, and so is the most important catalyst in its metabolism; recent work also implicates both UGT1A7 and UGT1A9 in the process.25 UGT1A1 is the enzyme primarily responsible for bilirubin glucuronidation. Lower than normal activity is a feature of Gilbert's syndrome, the genetic basis of which has been elucidated. It has been determined that UGT enzyme levels are regulated primarily through transcriptional control, and that variation in promoter structure influences the rate of transcription. In particular, a series of TA repeats in the proximal promoter vary from five to eight in length: the lower the number of repeats, the more efficient the transcriptional activity of the gene. The commonest alleles are those with six and seven repeats. Gilbert's syndrome is most commonly associated with homozygous presence of the TA7 allele (which is also classified as UGT1A1*28).26,27 The frequency of alleles of these repeats varies by ethnic and racial origin: in a white population, approximately 50% are [TA6/TA6], 40% are [TA6/TA7], and 10% are [TA7/TA7] genotypes. The proportion of [TA7/TA7] genotypes is also approximately 10% in individuals of African origin, but less than half that in Asians.28 Other polymorphisms in the UGT1A1 gene have been shown to influence functional activity and to associate with Gilbert's syndrome or drug toxicity. Missense polymorphisms in exon 1 and in the shared exons 2 to 5 have been described. Of particular importance to East Asian populations is a mutation in exon 1 (a G to A transition termed UGT1A1*6) with an allele frequency of approximately 12%, which reduces catalytic function by 60% in homozygotes.29 The impact of this polymorphism on irinotecan toxicity did not emerge in one study,30 but was strikingly associated with greater toxicity in a population of Korean patients treated with irinotecan and cisplatin for advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer.31 UGT1A1 GENOTYPE AND IRINOTECAN TOXICITY Iyer et al32 first demonstrated that irinotecan disposition might be genetically determined, as shown in liver microsomes, and that UGT1A1 was responsible for irinotecan glucuronidation. Case reports of toxicity in colorectal cancer patients with Gilbert's syndrome and with UGT1A1*28 homozygosity33,34 prompted more extensive investigation. A series of publications then demonstrated evidence that this genotype may be an important influence on the toxicity of irinotecan (Table 1). The analyses in patients treated with single-agent irinotecan (on a schedule of administration once every 3 weeks) demonstrate a relationship of the UGT1A1*28 genotype to toxicity.35,36 This relationship is more easily discerned with neutropenia than with diarrhea, which was not common with this regimen. Perhaps such a finding is not unexpected, given that grading of neutropenia through a documented blood count may be more objective than that of diarrhea, which is a retrospective recall of stool number. There are three published analyses of the relationship of genotype to toxicity with combinations involving irinotecan. The study by Ando et al30 merges hematologic and GI toxicity, and showed that the incidence of either is increased in the patients homozygous or heterozygous for the *28 genotype. The presence of additional chemotherapy drugs was an additional significant risk factor, and this is suggested also in the studies of Rouits and Marcuello.37,38 In sum, the combination studies replicate the findings of the single-agent analyses; there is a clear association of UGT1A1*28 homozygosity with neutropenia from irinotecan alone or in combination. For diarrhea, there is a trend reaching significance in only one of the studies. Case reports and the combined analysis of Ando et al30 indicate that the occurrence of both toxicities, known to be a major risk factor for early death in studies of irinotecan plus FU, may be associated with the genotype, although additional characterization of this aspect is needed. Preliminary analyses from a large cooperative group trial (N9741) in which genotyping was performed in 520 patients confirm the association of *28 homozygosity with risk of grade 4 neutropenia for an arm incorporating irinotecan with oxaliplatin (P = .004), but not for weekly irinotecan plus FU (IFL; P = .46). A higher risk of febrile neutropenia was also associated with *28 homozygosity. No association was found for severity of diarrhea.39
Collectively, these observations together provide definitive evidence that the variant UGT1A1 genotype is associated with toxicity of irinotecan-containing regimens. Equally important, the observations prompt several questions that provide directions for future work. What is the basis for the apparent specificity for neutropenia over diarrhea? Does it matter, given that it is the occurrence of both together that is the life-threatening conjunction associated with at least irinotecan/fluororacil/leucovorin (IFL) therapy? Can measurement of UGT1A1 genotype contribute to safety of irinotecan combinations? If so, how can this best be established? Can consideration of haplotypes (genetic polymorphisms that are likely to be associated and so vary together in the population) improve the specificity of genetic testing in this context? Such a possibility is suggested in the work of Ando et al,30 in which association of UGT1A1*27 was correlated with *28, and those with both had a high risk of toxicity. Consideration of genotypic variation in other key genes mediating drug metabolism in the context of colon cancer chemotherapy should also refine the applicability of genotyping to refine dosing strategies.7,9,11 However, the most immediate concern is what impact these findings and the FDA actions should have on oncology practice today. PRACTICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE CURRENT DATA
Should Every Patient Receiving Irinotecan for the First Time Be Considered for Testing?
Does the Genotyping Predict for All Toxicities of Irinotecan?
What Dose Should Be Used in UGT1A1*28 Homozygotes?
What Additional Studies Need to Be Accomplished? Although safety is a paramount priority in the management of incurable disease, it is not the only priority. Patients and oncologists have legitimate concerns that dose modifications might be required only in a subset of patients with UGT1A1*28 genotype. The oncology community as a whole should commit the necessary resources to conduct a hypothesis-driven study of patients who are representative of all three genotypes. This trial would extend the investigation of genotype to UGT1A1 haplotypes, and to genotypes involving other key determinants of toxicity and/or efficacy. It should establish appropriate dose modification strategies for irinotecan-containing regimens in patients of various genotypes. It should also incorporate molecular correlative studies to analyze simultaneously the pharmacogenomics of response in both tumor and normal tissuea necessary step to advance the realization of individualized therapy. Authors' Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest
Although all authors completed the disclosure declaration, the following authors or their immediate family members indicated a financial interest. No conflict exists for drugs or devices used in a study if they are not being evaluated as part of the investigation. For a detailed description of the disclosure categories, or for more information about ASCO's conflict of interest policy, please refer to the Author Disclosure Declaration and the Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest section in Information for Contributors.
Dollar Amount Codes (A) < $10,000 (B) $10,000-$99,999 (C)
Author Contributions
REFERENCES
1. Schiller JH, Harrington D, Belani CP, et al: Comparison of four chemotherapy regimens for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. N Engl J Med 346:92-98, 2002 2. Ozols RF, Bundy BN, Greer BE, et al: Phase III trial of carboplatin and paclitaxel compared with cisplatin and paclitaxel in patients with optimally resected stage III ovarian cancer: A Gynecologic Oncology Group study. J Clin Oncol 21:3194-3200, 2003 3. Wang L, Wenshilboum R: Thiopurine S-methyltransferase pharmacogenetics: Insights, challenges, and future directions. Oncogene 25:1629-1638, 2006[CrossRef][Medline] 4. Cheok MH, Evans WE: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: A model for the pharmacogenomics of cancer therapy. Nat Rev Cancer 6:117-129, 2006[CrossRef][Medline] 5. Relling MV, Hancock ML, Rivera GK, et al: Mercaptopurine therapy intolerance and heterozygosity at the thiopurine S-methyltransferase gene locus. J Natl Cancer Inst 91:2001-2008, 1999 6. Stanulla M, Schaeffeler E, Flohr T, et al: Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) genotype and early treatment response to mercaptopurine in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. JAMA 293:1485-1489, 2005 7. Mattison LK, Soong R, Diasio RB: Implications of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase on 5-fluorouracil pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics 3:485-492, 2002[CrossRef][Medline] 8. Paradiso A, Simone G, Petroni S, et al: Thymidylate synthase and p53 primary tumour expression as predictive factors for advanced colorectal cancer patients. Br J Cancer 82:560-567, 2000[CrossRef][Medline] 9. Marsh S, McKay JA, Cassidy J, et al: Polymorphism in the thymidylate synthase promoter enhancer region in colorectal cancer. Int J Oncol 19:383-386, 2001[Medline] 10. Etienne MC, Formento JL, Chazal M, et al: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms and response to fluorouracil-based treatment in advanced colorectal cancer patients. Pharmacogenetics 14:785-792, 2004[CrossRef][Medline] 11. Park DJ, Stoehlmacher J, Zhang W, et al: Thymidylate synthase gene polymorphism predicts response to capecitabine in advanced colorectal cancer. Int J Colorectal Dis 17:46-49, 2002[CrossRef][Medline] 12. United States Food and Drug Administration: Camptosar label. http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2005/020571s024,027,028lbl.pdf 13. United States Food and Drug Administration: Invader UGT1A1 molecular assay 510(k) summary. http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/pdf5/K051824.pdf 14. Pizzolato JF, Saltz LB: The camptothecins. Lancet 361:2235-2242, 2003[CrossRef][Medline] 15. Saltz LB, Cox JV, Blanke C, et al: Irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin for metastatic colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med 343:905-914, 2000 16. Douillard JY, Cunningham D, Roth AD, et al: Irinotecan combined with fluorouracil compared with fluorouracil alone as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer: A multicentre randomised trial. Lancet 355:1041-1047, 2000[CrossRef][Medline] 17. Saltz LB, Niedzwiecki D, Hollis D, et al: Irinotecan plus fluorouracil/leucovorin (IFL) versus fluorouracil/leucovorin alone (FL) in stage III colon cancer (intergroup trial CALGB C89803). J Clin Oncol 23:245s, 2004 (suppl; abstr 3500)[CrossRef] 18. Slichenmyer WJ, Rowinsky EK, Grochow LB et al: Camptothecin analogues: Studies from the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 34:S53-S57, 1994[Medline] 19. Rothenberg ML, Meropol NJ, Poplin EA, et al: Mortality associated with irinotecan plus bolus fluorouracil/leucovorin: Summary findings of an independent panel. J Clin Oncol 19:3801-3807, 2001 20. Kawato Y, Nagata H, Furuta T, et al: Intracellular roles of SN-38, a metabolite of the camptothecin derivative CPT-11, in the antitumor effect of CPT-11. Cancer Res 51:4187-4191, 1991 21. Kawato Y, Aonuma M, Matsumoto K, et al: Production of SN-38, a metabolite of the camptothecin derivative CPT-11, and its species and tissue specificities. Yakubutsu Dotai 6:899-907, 1991 22. Smith NF, Figg WD, Sparreboom A: Pharmacogenetics of irinotecan metabolism and transport: An update. Toxicol In Vitro 20:163-175, 2006[CrossRef][Medline] 23. Gupta E, Lestingi TM, Mick R, et al: Metabolic fate of irinotecan in humans: Correlation of glucuronidation with diarrhea. Cancer Res 54:3723-3725, 1994 24. Gupta E, Mick R, Ramirez J, et al: Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation of the topoisomerase inhibitor irinotecan in cancer patients. J Clin Oncol 15:1502-1510, 1997[Abstract] 25. Innocenti F, Liu W, Chen P, et al: Haplotypes of variants in the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A9 and 1A1 genes. Pharmacogenetics Genomics 15:295-301, 2005 26. Bosma PJ, Chowdhury JR, Bakker C, et al: The genetic basis of the reduced expression of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1 in Gilbert's syndrome. N Engl J Med 333:1171-1175, 1995 27. Monaghan G, Ryan M, Seddon R, et al: Genetic variation in bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase gene promoter and Gilbert's syndrome. Lancet 347:578-581, 1996[CrossRef][Medline] 28. Desai AA, Innocenti F, Ratain MJ: Pharmacogenomics: Road to anticancer therapeutics nirvana? Oncogene 22:6621-6628, 2003[CrossRef][Medline] 29. Premawardhena A, Fisher CA, Liu YT, et al: The global distribution of length polymorphisms of the promoters of the glucuronosyltransferase 1 gene (UGT 1A1): Hematologic and evolutionary implications. Blood Cells Mol Dis 31:98-101, 2003[CrossRef][Medline] 30. Ando Y, Saka H, Ando M, et al: Polymorphisms of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase gene and irinotecan toxicity: A pharmacogenetic analysis. Cancer Res 60:6921-6926, 2000 31. Han J-Y, Lim H-S, Shin ES, et al: Comprehensive analysis of UGT1A polymorphisms predictive for pharmacokinetics and treatment outcome in patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer treated with irinotecan and cisplatin. J Clin Oncol 24:2237-2244, 2006 32. Iyer L, King CD, Whitington PF, et al: Genetic predisposition to the metabolism of irinotecan (CPT-11): Role of the uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase isoform 1A1 in the glucuronidation of its active metabolite SN-38 in human liver microsomes. J Clin Invest 101:847-854, 1998[Medline] 33. Ando Y, Saka H, Asai G, et al: UGT1A1 genotypes and glucuronidation of SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. Ann Oncol 9:845-847, 1998 34. Wasserman E, Mijara A, Lokiec F, et al: Severe CPT-1 toxicity in patients with Gilbert's syndrome: Two case reports. Ann Oncol 10:1049-1051, 1997 35. Iyer L, Das S, Janisch L, et al: UGT1A1*28 polymorphism as a determinant of irinotecan disposition and toxicity. Pharmacogenomics J 2:43-47, 2002[CrossRef][Medline] 36. Innocenti F, Undevia SD, Iyer L, et al: Genetic variants in the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 gene predict the risk of severe neutropenia of irinotecan. J Clin Oncol 22:1382-1388, 2004 37. Rouits E, Boisdron-Celle M, Dumont A, et al: Relevance of different UGT1A1 polymorphisms in irinotecan-induced toxicity: A molecular and clinical study of 75 patients. Clin Cancer Res 10:5151-5159, 2004 38. Marcuello E, Altes A, Menoyo A, et al: UGT1A1 gene variations and irinotecan treatment in patients with metastatic colon cancer. Br J Cancer 91:678-682, 2004[CrossRef][Medline] 39. McLeod HL, Parodi L, Sargent DJ, et al: UGT1A1*28, toxicity and outcome in advanced colorectal cancer: Results from trial N9741. J Clin Oncol 24:151s,2006 (suppl; abstr 3520) 40. Innocenti F, Vokes EE, Ratain MJ: Irinogenetics: What is the right star? J Clin Oncol 24:2221-2224, 2006
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
Copyright © 2006 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Online ISSN: 1527-7755. Print ISSN: 0732-183X
|