Positive response to imatinib mesylate therapy for childhood chronic myeloid leukemia.
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is rare in the pediatric population, accounting for 2-3% of childhood leukemia cases, with an annual incidence of one case per million children. The low toxicity profile of imatinib mesylate has led to its approval as a front-line therapy in children for whom interferon treatment has failed or who have relapsed after allogeneic transplantation. We describe the positive responses of 2 children (case 1 - from a 7-year-old male since May 2005; case 2 - from a 5-year-old female since June 2006) with Philadelphia-positive chromosome CML treated with imatinib (300 mg/day, orally) for up to 28 months, as evaluated by morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular approaches. Our patients are alive, are in the chronic phase, and are in continuous morphological complete remission.
Oliveira
G A P
GA
Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho and Departamento de Histologia e Embriologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Costa
E S
ES
Freitas
M S
MS
Dutra
F F
FF
Maia
S F
SF
Guerra
M C
MC
Tabernero
M D
MD
Borojevic
R
R
Otazu
I B
IB
Silva
J L
JL
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001549:Benzamides; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D010879:Piperazines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate