Background: Mitoxantrone is used on an off-label basis in primary progressive MS (PPMS). ABC-transporter-genotypes are associated with therapeutic response in relapsing/secondary progressive MS (RP/SPMS).
Objective: To evaluate potential pharmacogenetic response markers for mitoxantrone in PPMS.
Methods: 41 mitoxantrone-treated PPMS-patients, 155 mitoxantrone-treated RP/SPMS-patients and 43 PPMS-controls were retrospectively assessed for clinical therapy-response and in correlation with four single-nucleotide-polymorphisms in ABCB1- and ABCG2-genes.
Results: 53.7% PPMS-patients were mitoxantrone-responders, in comparison to 78.1% of RP/SPMS-patients (p=0.039). There was no association between genotype and treatment response.
Conclusion: Our data discourages the use of mitoxantrone in PPMS regardless of pharmacogenetic response markers previously described in RP/SPMS.
Keywords: Escalation therapy; Immunosuppression; Multi-drug resistance transporter; Pharmacogenetics.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.