UCSF Launches Pharmacogenomics Program to Enhance Safety for GI Cancer Patients
Published Date: October 14, 2025
UCSF Launches Pharmacogenomics Program to Enhance Safety for GI Cancer Patients
Written by: Kenric Li, PharmD, BCOP, Joon Hwang, PharmD, BCOP, & Hansen Ho, PharmD, BCOP
Standard dosing for fluoropyrimidines and irinotecan can be a high-stakes gamble for a subset of GI cancer patients. UCSF Health tackled that risk with a pharmacist-led pharmacogenomics pilot that brings preemptive DPYD and UGT1A1 testing into routine workflow before treatment starts. The goal is simple: catch actionable variants early enough to adjust dosing and prevent severe, potentially life-threatening toxicities.
What’s compelling here is the implementation playbook. Testing is embedded directly in the EHR treatment plan, results flow to a dedicated PGx pharmacist, and recommendations are documented back into the chart on a tight turnaround. The early data show why the workflow matters: a meaningful portion of patients needed dose changes based on DPYD and/or UGT1A1 findings. The article also names the friction points teams will recognize, especially turnaround time and the challenge of results landing after therapy has already begun, and it outlines where the program goes next as it expands and tracks outcomes.
Key highlights
- The patient-safety case for starting with DPYD and UGT1A1 in GI oncology
- How UCSF “baked in” testing so it isn’t another step for prescribers
- What happens once results hit, including the PGx pharmacist’s role and documentation
- Early impact numbers that show why preemptive testing changes real decisions
- The two big implementation hurdles that other clinics will need to plan around
Read the full article in Oncolytics Today for a detailed look at UCSF Health’s pharmacist-led DPYD and UGT1A1 workflow and what their early results reveal about safety-driven dosing in GI oncology.