Adherence to treatment with imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia: a study of the first decade of responses obtained at a Brazilian hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the reasons for failure in adherence to imatinib mesylate treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 100 non-electronic records of patients with Ph(+) chronic myeloid leukemia treated with imatinib mesylate. The study period was from January 2001 to January2011. Data were analyzed by Chi-Square and Correspondence analysis using the Statistical Analysis System software package. RESULTS: At the beginning of treatment 41% of patients were in advanced stages of the disease. The unavailability of the drug (44.8%) and myelotoxicity (25.7%) were the most frequent reasons for interruption. The adherence rate was < 90% in 47% of the cases. The low adherence influenced the cytogenetic response (p-value = 0.020) and molecular response (p-value = 0.001). Very high adherence (> 95%) induced complete cytogenetic response, major cytogenetic response and major molecular response. CONCLUSION: The population of this study obtained lower-than-expected therapeutic responses compared to other studies.

Adherence to treatment with imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia: a study of the first decade of responses obtained at a Brazilian hospital

Objetive: The aim of this study was to identify the reasons for failure in adherence to imatinib mesylate treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of 100 non-electronic records of patients with Ph+ chronic myeloid leukemia treated with imatinib mesylate. The study period was from January 2001 to January2011. Data were analyzed by Chi-Square and Correspondence analysis using the Statistical Analysis System software package. Results: At the beginning of treatment 41% of patients were in advanced stages of the disease. The unavailability of the drug (44.8%) and myelotoxicity (25.7%) were the most frequent reasons for interruption. The adherence rate was < 90% in 47% of the cases. The low adherence influenced the cytogenetic response (p-value = 0.020) and molecular response (p-value = 0.001). Very high adherence (> 95%) induced complete cytogenetic response, major cytogenetic response and major molecular response. Conclusion: The population of this study obtained lower-than-expected therapeutic responses compared to other studies. .

Chronic myeloid leukemia: an overview of the determinants of effectiveness and therapeutic response in the first decade of treatment with imatinib mesylate in a Brazilian hospital.

BACKGROUND: In the last decade, there has been a revolution in chronic myeloid leukemia treatment with the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors with imatinib mesylate becoming the frontline therapy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of imatinib mesylate in treating chronic myeloid leukemia patients and to identify factors related to therapeutic efficacy. METHODS: This retrospective study was based on information obtained from patients' records in the Hematology Service of Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídio of the Universidade Federal do Ceará (HUWC / UFC). All patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia that took imatinib mesylate for a minimum of 12 months in the period from January 2001 to January 2011 were included. From a population of 160 patients, 100 were eligible for analysis. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 100 patients who were mostly male (51%) with ages ranging between 21 and 40 years (42%), from the countryside (59%), in the chronic phase (95%), with high-risk prognostic factors (40%); the prognosis of high risk was not associated with complete hematologic response or complete cytogenetic response, but correlated to complete molecular response or major molecular response. Reticulin condensation was associated with complete hematologic response and complete cytogenetic response. It was found that 53% of patients had greater than 90% adherence to treatment. The high adherence was correlated to attaining complete cytogenetic response in less than 12 months. Moreover,20% of patients had good response. CONCLUSION: Significant changes are indispensable in the monitoring of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Thus, the multidisciplinary team is important as it provides access to the full treatment and not just to medications.

Chronic myeloid leukemia: an overview of the determinants of effectiveness and therapeutic response in the first decade of treatment with imatinib mesylate in a Brazilian hospital

Background: In the last decade, there has been a revolution in chronic myeloid leukemia treatment with the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors with imatinib mesylate becoming the frontline therapy. Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of imatinib mesylate in treating chronic myeloid leukemia patients and to identify factors related to therapeutic efficacy. Methods: This retrospective study was based on information obtained from patients'records in the Hematology Service of Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídio of the Universidade Federal do Ceará (HUWC / UFC). All patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia that took imatinib mesylate for a minimum of 12 months in the period from January 2001 to January 2011 were included. From a population of 160 patients, 100 were eligible for analysis. Results: The study population consisted of 100 patients who were mostly male (51%) with ages rangingbetween 21 and 40 years (42%), from the countryside (59%), in the chronic phase (95%), with high-riskprognostic factors (40%); the prognosis of high risk was not associated with complete hematologic responseor complete cytogenetic response, but correlated to complete molecular response or major molecularresponse. Reticulin condensation was associated with complete hematologic response and completecytogenetic response. It was found that 53% of patients had greater than 90% adherence to treatment. Thehigh adherence was correlated to attaining complete cytogenetic response in less than 12 months. Moreover,20% of patients had good response. Conclusion: Significant changes are indispensable in the monitoring of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Thus, the multidisciplinary team is important as it provides access to the full treatment and not just to medications. .

Imatinib resistance: a review of alternative inhibitors in chronic myeloid leukemia.

The development of point mutations in the BCR-ABL kinase domain is the main reason for imatinib resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia. Different detection methods are used in chronic myeloid leukemia monitoring, such as direct sequencing, denaturing high performance liquid chromatography and allele specific polymerase chain reaction. Mutation analysis has become mandatory during patient workup of chronic myeloid leukemia in order for the physician to choose the most suitable tyrosine kinase inhibitor. This article, a review of possible therapies used to overcome imatinib resistance, investigates the current position by searching the PubMed electronic database using the following keywords: imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, aurora kinase, SRC kinase, mutation, treatment, drugs and resistance. New tyrosine kinase inhibitors include BCR-ABL kinase selective inhibitors, dual ABL/SRC kinase inhibitors and aurora kinase inhibitors. Awareness of the spectrum of new drugs against mutations, in particular the T315I mutation, makes it possible to properly select the best therapy for each patient.

Dasatinib - clinical trials and management of adverse events in imatinib resistant/intolerant chronic myeloid leukemia.

Dasatinib is a highly effective second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of imatinib-resistant or intolerant chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This article reviews the results of phase I, II and III studies and looks at the efficacy and safety of dasatinib. This review also provides practical recommendations for the management of side effects.