Haematologica Reports 2005; 1(issue 8):
55-56[prev][index][next]
Bcr-abl peptides for chronic myeloid
leukemia
Bocchia M, Ippoliti M, Pirrotta M T, Abruzzese E, Trawinska MM,
Forconi F, Gozzetti A, Raspadori D
Lauria F
Dept. of Hematology, Siena University, Italy
In these recent years, treatment of CML has been notably
improved by imatinib mesylate a potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor
that blocks the kinase activity of p210, thus inhibiting the
proliferation of Ph-positive progenitors.1 In chronic
phase patients treated with Imatinib mesylate, the kinetic of
response, particularly cytogenetic response, is most of the time
rapid, with a major and even complete cytogenetic remission (CCR)
observed within 6-12 months of therapy.2,3 However,
molecular remissions are rare4 and up-front resistance
to Imatinib as well as loss of response during treatment is of
increased concern.5,6 For all these reasons, despite the
fact that Imatinib represents the current most effective de-bulking
therapy for chronic phase CML and the actual best conventional
treatment for CML patients, the eradication of residual disease and
possibly the cure without bone marrow transplantation still appears
a difficult goal for a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approach alone in
these patients.7 [>Read full article
in PDF]
