Imatinib mesylate in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents for chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Imatinib therapy is an important contribution to the management of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Despite high rates of hematologic and cytogenetic responses to imatinib therapy, the emergence of resistance to imatinib has been recognized as a major problem in the treatment of CML. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that imatinib as a single drug may not be sufficient to eradicate BCR-ABL-positive stem cells. Therefore, whether combinations of imatinib with other agents can increase the length of molecular remission and whether such combinations can prolong survival should be determined by large-scale clinical studies. In this review, we discuss efficacious combinations for future clinical trials. These regimens combine imatinib with conventional chemotherapeutic agents or with inhibitors of other signal transduction molecules that may be preferentially activated in CML cells.
Tauchi
Tetsuzo
T
First Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. tauchi@tokyo-med.ac.jp
Ohyashiki
Kazuma
K
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001549:Benzamides; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D016313:Genes, abl; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive; D010879:Piperazines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011379:Prognosis; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016019:Survival Analysis
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D010879:Piperazines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate