Inter-ethnic differences--how important is it in cancer treatment?

It is now well recognised that there are inter-ethnic differences accounting for variations in both pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of drugs, resulting in differences in drug responses. Treating physicians should be aware of pharmacogenetic differences that may exist between the races while extrapolating data generated from other populations to their own patients in order to ensure optimal treatment response and minimise toxicity. This is especially crucial in the practice of oncology where many anti-cancer drugs have narrow therapeutic indices. This paper discusses some commonly used drugs in cancer treatment where inter-ethnic differences in drug safety and efficacy are known to exist that are relevant to the Asian physician.