Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium guidelines for thiopurine methyltransferase genotype and thiopurine dosing

Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Mar;89(3):387-91. doi: 10.1038/clpt.2010.320. Epub 2011 Jan 26.

Abstract

Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) activity exhibits monogenic co-dominant inheritance, with ethnic differences in the frequency of occurrence of variant alleles. With conventional thiopurine doses, homozygous TPMT-deficient patients (~1 in 178 to 1 in 3,736 individuals with two nonfunctional TPMT alleles) experience severe myelosuppression, 30-60% of individuals who are heterozygotes (~3-14% of the population) show moderate toxicity, and homozygous wild-type individuals (~86-97% of the population) show lower active thioguanine nucleolides and less myelosuppression. We provide dosing recommendations (updates at http://www.pharmgkb.org) for azathioprine, mercaptopurine (MP), and thioguanine based on TPMT genotype.

Publication types

  • Practice Guideline
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / administration & dosage
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / adverse effects
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / metabolism
  • Azathioprine / administration & dosage*
  • Azathioprine / adverse effects
  • Azathioprine / metabolism
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / administration & dosage
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / adverse effects
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / metabolism
  • Mercaptopurine / administration & dosage*
  • Mercaptopurine / adverse effects
  • Mercaptopurine / metabolism
  • Methyltransferases / genetics*
  • Methyltransferases / metabolism
  • Thioguanine / administration & dosage*
  • Thioguanine / adverse effects
  • Thioguanine / metabolism

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Mercaptopurine
  • Methyltransferases
  • thiopurine methyltransferase
  • Thioguanine
  • Azathioprine