Genetics of chemotherapy side effects

Colorectal cancer is cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. The colon is your large intestine. It is the lower part of your digestive system. The rectum is the last few inches of your colon. Most cases start as polyps, or small clumps of cells. Over time, some polyps may become cancer. Often, the polyps do not cause problems. Doctors suggest regular screening tests to find and remove polyps before they become cancer. The most common treatment for these cancers is 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). About 1 in 3 patients has bad side effects from 5-FU. Changes in the proteins that process drugs cause many side effects. A few people have changes in one of these proteins that cause known side effects. But, most of the time, we do not know what causes the side effects. Scientists think changes in other proteins that process 5-FU may be the cause. Researchers will use BioVU to find patients with colorectal cancers who received 5-FU. They will look for gene changes that affect the proteins that process 5-FU. The changes affect the amount of each protein. They will look for a link between the changes and side effects from 5-FU. Their results may help us know who will have bad side effects from 5-FU. The results could also help us better treat patients with colorectal and other cancers.