The enzyme DPD (full name: dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase) is coded by the DPYD gene and is responsible for breaking down excess pyrimidines such as thymine and uracil (building blocks of DNA).
The enzyme is also involved in breaking down drugs that are similar to pyrimidines, such as cytostatics from the fluoropyrimidine group.
Fluoropyrimidines (such as fluorouracil, tegafur and capecitabine) are frequently used as a standard treatment for various types of cancer, including bowel, stomach and breast cancer. The enzyme DPD accounts for over 80% of the metabolisation of these drugs.
Drugs that can be metabolised by the enzyme DPD include the cytostatics fluorouracil, tegafur and capecitabine. These cytostatics are used in the treatment of bowel, breast, stomach, liver and oesophageal cancer.
Capecitabine and the enzyme DPD
Capecitabine is processed to a large extent by the enzyme DPD.
The activity of this enzyme can vary considerably depending on your genetic predisposition, which means the efficacy of capecitabine can also differ from person to person.
Information about your genetic predisposition may therefore provide grounds for extra vigilance in relation to a treatment with capecitabine.
Read more about Capecitabine »
Flucytosine and the enzyme DPD
A small proportion of flucytosine is converted to fluorouracil within the body. Fluorouracil is processed primarily by the enzyme DPD. The activity of this enzyme can vary considerably depending on your genetic predisposition, which means the efficacy of flucytosine can also differ from person to person.
Information about your genetic predisposition may therefore provide grounds for extra vigilance in relation to a treatment with flucytosine.
Read more about Flucytosine »
Flucytosine and the enzyme DPD
Flucytosine is processed within the body primarily by the enzyme DPD. The activity of this enzyme can vary considerably depending on your genetic predisposition, which means the efficacy of flucytosine can also differ from person to person.
Information about your genetic predisposition may therefore provide grounds for extra vigilance in relation to a treatment with flucytosine.
Read more about Flucytosine »
Fluorouracil and the enzyme DPD
Fluorouracil is processed to a large extent by the enzyme DPD. The activity of this enzyme can vary considerably depending on your genetic predisposition, which means the efficacy of fluorouracil can also differ from person to person.
Information about your genetic predisposition may therefore provide grounds for extra vigilance in relation to a treatment with fluorouracil.
Read more about Fluorouracil »
Tegafur and the enzyme DPD
After being converted into the active component fluorouracil, tegafur is processed to a large extent by the enzyme DPD. The activity of this enzyme can vary considerably depending on your genetic predisposition, which means the efficacy of tegafur can also differ from person to person.
Information about your genetic predisposition may therefore provide grounds for extra vigilance in relation to a treatment with tegafur.
Read more about Tegafur »
Genetic predisposition
The activity of the enzyme DPD varies from one individual to another.
This variation can be explained in part by genetic variations in the DPYD gene.
Consequently, the side effects of drugs broken down by the enzyme DPD can also vary from person to person.
When a genotype is determined variations in the DPYD gene are indicated by two so-called alleles. Each allele has a name consisting of an asterisk (*) and a number (this may also be an rs number).
An example of a possible DPYD genotype is DPYD*1/*2A.
At iGene we determine the following variants (alleles) of the DPYD gene:
DPYD*2A, DPYD*3, DPYD*6, DPYD*7, DPYD*8, DPYD*10, DPYD*12, DPYD*13, DPYD 1236A, DPYD 2846T and other (classified as DPYD*1).