Zahra Mozaheb, Maeedeh Javani
Sixty patients with
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (
CML) who were on
oral imatinib were included in this study. The study aimed to evaluate patients characteristic, tolerability and efficacy and clinical outcome in Iranian patients who have been treated with generic
imatinib. The median age of patients was 48 years, and the median follow up was 44 months. 94% of patients achieved
complete hematologic response (
CHR) during the 3 months of beginning
imatinib, and after 12 - 24 months of
imatinib therapy 46.8% achieved molecular response. The most common non-hematologic
toxicity was fluid retention (64%), fatigue (43%) and moderate to severe hematologic
side effect included
anemia 10%, neutropenia 10%, and thrombocytopenia 6.6%. About 13% of patients transformed into
accelerated phase (AP) or blastic crisis (BC) and the death rate during this period was 7%. In conclusion, there is heterogeneity in different areas in characteristic of
CML (especially in age), and also
response rate and
side effect of patients with
CML that treated with
imatinib are different.
Source: Scientific Research Vol.6 No.10, April 2014, DOI 10.4236/health.2014.610113 (PDF)
Complete Hematologic Response
The blood cell count has returned to normal, and tests don’t show any immature white blood cells. Also, the spleen has returned to a normal size if it was enlarged.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
also called: Chronic Myelogeneous Leukemia
A chronic disease of the blood and bone marrow that results from a transformation of a stem cell.
Accelerated Phase
A phase of development of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia between chronic and blast phase. Untreated, the accelerated phase progresses to blast phase within a few months.
Response rate
Proportion of patients (in percent) in whom a specific therapy led to a decrease in or disappearance of signs and symptoms of a disease.
Side effect
Adverse effects of a treatment:, side effects limit the maximum tolerable dose in particular during chemotherapy.
Cytopenia
The condition of having a deficient number of one or more elements in the blood. Depending on which types of blood cells are decreased, the condition is also called leuko(cyto)penia, granulopenia, lympho(cyto)penia, mono(cyto)penia, erythro(cyto)penia or thrombo(cyto)penia.
Toxicity
The quality of being poisonous; harm resulting from drugs, e.g. side effects of chemotherapy.
Imatinib
Imatinib, trade name Glivec/Gleevec, development name STI-571, a first-generation BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibition. Authorized for marketing since 2002 for the treatment of CML and Ph-positive ALL.
Other names: Gleevec|Glivec
Chronic
Long-lasting, slowly developping
Anemia
Lack of red blood cells or decrease in red blood pigment (haemoglobin)
Blast
An immature white blood cell that normally represents an early phase of the development process of a blood stem cell in the bone marrow
Gene
A unit of information present as DNA; a gene usually contains the blueprint for a protein.
Oral
Oral, pertaining to the mouth; taken through or applied in the mouth.
CML
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, also called Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
A chronic disease of the blood and bone marrow that results from a transformation of a stem cell.
CHR
Abbreviation for Complete Hematologic Response. The blood cell count has returned to normal, and tests don’t show any immature white blood cells. Also, the spleen has returned to a normal size if it was enlarged.
