While much attention is focused on using genomic markers to target the effectiveness of treatments, simultaneous research is exploring use of genomic markers to identify patients at higher risk of therapy-induced side effects. Two recent studies highlight the use of genomic markers to identify anthracycline-induced congestive heart failure (CHF) and guide radiotherapy dose to decrease complication risk. Chemotherapy-Induced Heart Failure A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identifies patients at high risk for chemotherapy-induced CHF, according to a study published in the January issue of Clinical Cancer Research. Anthracyclines are a widely used class of chemotherapy known to have "doselimiting side effects," including CHF. Previous research showed that patients that received an anthracycline were five times more likely to develop cardiac symptoms. While the total rate of CHF in patients receiving anthracyclines is low (estimated at approximately 2 percent), the ability to predict which patients might be at increased risk prior to exposure, would be valuable information to optimally counsel patients, clinicians say. "Many patients still benefit from anthracyclines based on risk or underlying biology of the tumor, [but] the severity of the side effect necessitates a means to identify high-risk patients," write the authors led by Bryan Schneider, M.D., from Indiana […]