Response to glucocorticoids and toxicity in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: role of polymorphisms of genes involved in glucocorticoid response.

Background: Glucocorticoids (GCs) play a fundamental role in the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but therapy with these agents often results in a number of severe side effects. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between polymorphisms of genes encoding for proteins involved in the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of these drugs and the occurrence of side effects, in particular infections, in a small population of ALL children. ... Conclusions: GSTM1 genotype may influence the severity of infections in ALL children during GC administration. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;53:984– 991.