Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Pre-clinical Evaluation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Acute Leukemia
Published on: September 18, 2013
Response to imatinib mesylate in childhood chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase
Vijay Gandhi Linga1, Ranga Raman Ganta1, Krishnamani Iyer Kalpathi1
1Department of Medical Oncology, Nizams Institute of Medical Science, Hyderabad, India.
Insights
This study on childhood chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) found that imatinib treatment resulted in a 56.8% progression-free survival and 94.5% overall survival at 36 months.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hematology
- Oncology Research
- Clinical Trial Analysis
Background:
- Childhood chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is rare, comprising less than 3% of pediatric leukemias.
- Treatment data for pediatric CML is often extrapolated from adult studies using imatinib (IM).
- This study contributes institutional data to the existing literature on pediatric CML management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess progression-free survival (PFS) in children with CML treated with imatinib.
- To evaluate secondary objectives including cytogenetic response, overall survival (OS), and treatment toxicities.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of case records from a single institution.
- Inclusion criteria: children under 18 diagnosed with CML in chronic phase (CML-CP) between 2000-2009.
- Imatinib (IM) administered at a dose of 260 mg/m(2); Kaplan-Meier curves used for survival analysis.
Main Results:
- 64 children (median age 13) were analyzed; 95.4% achieved complete hematological response (CHR).
- Among evaluable patients, 78.3% achieved complete cytogenetic response (CCyR).
- At a median follow-up of 36 months, PFS was 56.8% and OS was 94.5%; adverse events were tolerable.
Conclusions:
- Imatinib demonstrates significant efficacy in pediatric CML patients.
- The study confirms favorable long-term outcomes, including progression-free and overall survival.
- Findings support the use of imatinib in the management of childhood CML.
Introduction:
Childhood chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) accounts for less than 3% of all childhood leukemias, hence, data on imatinib (IM) in adult CML patients has been largely extrapolated to children. We have analyzed our data to add to the existing literature.
Aims:
Primary objective is to assess the progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary objective are cytogenetic response, overall survival (OS), and toxicities.
Settings And Design:
This is a retrospective analysis from the case records from a single institution.
Materials And Methods:
Institutional ethics committee approval was obtained. All the children diagnosed CML in chronic phase (CML-CP) aged less than 18 years registered between 2000 and 2009 were enrolled. All the patients were started on IM at 260 mg/m(2).
Statistical Analysis:
Kaplan-Meier curves were used to calculate the PFS and OS.
Results:
There were 64 children with median age of 13 years (range, 1-18) with male predominance (male:female (M: F) - 1.85:1). Sixty-one patients (95.4%) achieved complete hematological response (CHR) at median of 8 weeks. Thirty-seven (57.8%) patients had evaluation of cytogenetic response and were subjects for outcome analysis. The median time to best cytogenetic response evaluation was 13 months (range, 4-52). Twenty-nine patients (78.3%) achieved complete cytogenetic response (CCyR). At a median follow-up of 36 months (range 5-75), 21 (56.8%) remained progression free and 35 (94.5%) are alive. Adverse events were tolerable.
Conclusions:
PFS at a median follow-up of 36 months is 56.8% and OS 94.5%.
Related Concept Videos
02:50Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
02:57Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...