Although most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with imatinib mesylate achieve a complete cytogenetic response (CCR), some patients will relapse. To determine the potential of real-time quantitative BCR-ABL reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to predict the duration of continued CCR, we monitored 85 patients treated with imatinib mesylate who achieved a C...

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common sarcoma of the alimentary tract and are believed to derive from the interstitial Cell of Cajal. Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec; Novartis, Basel, Switzerland) has revolutionized the treatment of GISTs and is generally used in the metastatic and adjuvant settings. We report the case of a 61-year old man who was treated with neoadjuvant imati...

A 32-yr-old man with the chronic phase of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) was treated with imatinib mesylate for 6 mo. The real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR ratio for BCR/ABL in blood mRNA (BCR/ABL RT-QPCR) decreased from an initial value of 0.0159 to a low value of 0.0012 after 3 mo, indicating complete hematologic response. During the next 3 mo, the patient progressed to a pr...

In a phase 2 study, 23 patients with myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia were treated with imatinib mesylate at a constant dose of 400 mg/d. Treatment was held in 16 patients (70%), after 1 to 12 weeks, because of side effects (neutropenia, 6 patients; musculoskeletal pain, 5 patients; thrombocytosis, 4 patients; edema, 3 patients; diarrhea and hyperbilirubinemia, 1 patient). Including patien...

Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) can restore durable molecular remission in a high percentage of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have relapses after allogeneic stem cell transplantation, but for patients who do not respond survival is poor. Imatinib mesylate (STI571) is a specific inhibitor of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase that can induce hematologic and cytogenetic remissions in pati...

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GIST) have become a well established entity and its taxonomy is no more ambiguous. Better understanding of the cell of origin and immunohistochmical markers have made this possible. Their treatment has been revolutionized with the advent of targeted molecular therapy, namely Imatinib mesylate. Herein we report a rare and interesting case of a thirty year old Sout...

We evaluated bone marrow pathologic features and cytogenetic and molecular genetic status of 13 patients with interferon-resistant, chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), treated with imatinib mesylate (Gleevec). All had morphologic evidence of CML in the blood and bone marrow and were positive for bcr-abl by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction, fluorescence in situ hybridiza...

Adherence to imatinib mesylate improves clinical outcomes and promotes a reduction in health expenditure. However, treatment duration and lack of efficacy decrease adherence to pharmacotherapy, resulting in increased mortality associated with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. This study aimed to evaluate and compare adherence and/or discontinuation of imatinib mesylate in different studies from the lit...

1. Jonsson S, Olsson B, Ohlsson C, Lorentzon M, Mellström D, Wadenvik H. Increased cortical bone mineralization in imatinib treated patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Haematologica 2008;93:1101-3. 2. Millot F, Guilhot J, Nelken B, Leblanc T, De Bont E, Bekassy AN, et al. Imatinib mesylate is effective in children with chronic myelogenous leukemia in late chronic and advanced phase and ...

Eosinophilia is seen in several myeloproliferative disorders (MPD). A subset of MPD involves the platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB) gene. Imatinib mesylate has been efficacious in treating some of these MPDs. Here we describe two patients with MPD with eosinophilia and PDGFRB rearrangements, one of which was congenital. Both patients were treated with single agent imatinib an...