La dihydropyrimidine déshydrogénase (DPD).

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is a key enzyme in the catabolism of fluoropyrimidines. Its activity follows a Gaussian curve in the general population and some mutations have been identified in the gene reported to cause early severe related adverse events, in 2 to 5% of the patients. It is clearly a problem of public healthcare that cannot be underestimated. We review the performances of assays that assess DPD status. The combination of 2 complementary techniques, genotyping and enzyme phenotyping, suitable for routine clinical applications is crucial for reliably detecting DPD deficiency and avoiding early severe toxicity associated with fluoropyrimidines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]