Imatinib Intolerance Is Associated With Blastic Phase Development in Philadelphia Chromosome –Positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Conclusion Most imatinib-intolerant patients develop blastic phase transformation, with a poor survival of 3 to 6 months; no effective rescue treatment is available. Future research should to determine whether the origin of this evolution is really due to the intolerance itself or whether it is due to a more aggressive form of the disease, perhaps related to genetic transformation. Micro-Abstract The overall prognosis of Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia patients is today considered to be good thanks to targeted therapy with tyrosin kinase inhibitors (TKIs). A study of a 86-patient cohort showed a strong association between imatinib intolerance and blastic phase development, opening the question if whether it is perhaps due to a more aggressive form of the disease intrinsically resistant to TKIs.
Source: Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research