Pharmacogenomics in Cancer Therapeutics

With increased knowledge of molecular abnormalities in pathways associated with tumorigenesis, drug development within the oncology discipline has over the last decade mostly shifted from nonspecific cytotoxic agents to targeted therapies. Together with their companion diagnostic tests that allow identification of suitable patients for particular therapeutic agents, targeted anticancer therapy usher in a whole new era of precision therapy for patients with specific types of cancer. In addition to somatic mutations within tumors, genetic variabilities in drug response and/or toxicity are also potential factors that could account for differences in response to anticancer drug therapy. In this brief chapter, the role of pharmacogenomics in cancer therapy is presented focusing on some specific applications.