Guarantee each patient the correct drug based on specific genetic characteristics to avoid side effects.
In other words, thanks to the genetic peculiarities of a patient, a therapy can be personalized, increasing its clinical validity.
It is a challenge for the future, but in the meantime this principle has been demonstrated by a study, published today in the scientific journal The Lancet, in which around 7,000 patients took part in healthcare settings in seven countries of the European Union.
Among these, the Oncological Reference Center of Aviano (Pordenone) which, with the support of Medical Oncology and Oncological Radiotherapy, treated 1,232 patients with the collaboration of the Ca' Foncello (Treviso) and S.Filippo Neri (Rome) hospitals.
By mapping each patient's DNA, the researchers looked at 12 genes involved in adverse drug reactions, showing that 50 types of germline variants (polymorphisms) affect how well the 39 selected drugs work.
The study results found that patients prescribed a gene constitutive profile therapy experienced a significant reduction in serious side effects compared to patients prescribed a standard pharmaceutical dose.
The studio was created in Aviano (Pordenone).