Vol. 9, Issue 1, Part A (2025)

Introduction: Cancers are ranked among diseases with increasing prevalence and which treatment is based on cytotoxic products. The elimination of these products can be stopped by the deficiency of an enzyme which plays an important role in metabolism (DPD). This phenomenon can be the trigger of side effects. It is within this context that we decided to assay parameters (uracil, dihydrouracil) that allow us to evaluate the activity of DPD.

Methods: The study was carried out in patients with cancer. All clinical signs after chemotherapy were recorded. A blood sample was taken from these patients on EFTA tube and centrifuged at 4000 revolutions per minute for 8 minutes. Uracil (U) and Dihydrouracil (UH2) parameters were determined using the HPLC method after extraction.

Results: In our study population, we identified 29 patients who had not yet started chemotherapy whereas 74 had already started. Of those who started chemotherapy, 92% had side effects and only 8% were found without symptoms. In patients with U < 16 ng/ml, 45 had side effects while 20 did not. Patients with UH2/U >13; 25 had adverse effects while 12 did not. Regarding DPD status among patients without DPD deficiency, 22 had adverse effects (21.4%) and 12 did not (11.7%).

Conclusion: The association between uracil concentrations and side effects showed that uracil levels above 150 ng/ml were consistently related to serious side effects, such as vomiting, diarrhea and general fatigue.