Dextromethorphan phenotyping as a test for prediction of tamoxifen (TAM) activation in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant hormone therapy.

e13019 Background: TAM is mainly metabolized by CYP2D6 to form its most active metabolites, 4hydroxy-tamoxifen (4OH-T) and endoxifen (END). Because of its long half-life, steady state is reached after around 4 months of continuous intake. The wide variable inter-patient activity of CYP2D6 might influence drug efficacy. A multi-institutional study in north Italy is evaluating the relationship between END levels and outcome. As a part of it, we investigated the role of dextromethorphan (DM), a probe drug for CYP2D6 enzymatic activity, as a potential phenotyping test for TAM activation. Methods: Twenty-nine breast cancer patients (75% postmenopausal) on adjuvant TAM therapy (20 mg/die) were investigated. They received a single dose (15 mg) of oral DM before starting TAM and their urines were collected over the10 following hours. Simultaneous quantitative determination of DM and its metabolite dextrorphan (DO) was performed in urines to estimate their log transformed metabolic ratio (LMR=logDM/DO). After 4 mo...