Gesche Riabowol

Title of Study: Implementation of a Pharmacogenomic Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) Prevention Program at Alberta Children’s Hospital

The purpose of this study is to implement a genetic testing program at Alberta Children’s Hospital for children receiving cisplatin, anthracycline, and/or thiopurine chemotherapy, and to determine the utility of this program in preventing adverse reactions to these drugs.

Specific goals of the study are:
(1) Provide doctors who treat children with cancer with the clinical practice guidelines developed for genetic testing to determine a child’s risk of cisplatin-induced hearing loss, anthracycline-induced heart problems, and thiopurine-induced bone marrow suppression (decrease in blood cells).
(2) Provide results of this genetic testing to the doctors caring for patients in this study, as well as to the patients/families.
(3) Determine the usefulness of the genetic testing to doctors and patients and families

Rationale: The identification and development of predictive genetic markers will ultimately help to reduce anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity, thiopurine-induced immunosuppression and cisplatin-induced ototoxicity, thereby improving the safety of cancer therapy and reducing late effects.