Some cancer patients carry a genetic variant called DPYD that can lead to a dangerous, sometimes fatally toxic response to a common chemotherapy drug. And while it’s possible to test for the variants and adjust a patient’s treatment plan accordingly, this is not standard practice for cancer care across the U.S. Daniel Hertz, Pharm.D., Ph.D., an expert in clinical pharmacy and advocate for DPYD testing, issues a call to action for standardized testing in this article from the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
