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Favorable outcome with STI571 (imatinib mesylate) and allogeneic stem cell transplantation in a case of Ph+ chemorefractory acute lymphocytic leukaemia

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 30, pages 971–973 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

We present a patient with a Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) refractory to standard induction chemotherapy. Treatment with the ABL-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 (Glivec, Gleevec, imatinib mesylate) resulted in a complete haematologic and cytogenetic remission. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation from an unrelated donor could be undertaken while the patient was in STI571-induced complete remission from the leukaemia. At present, the patient has a 15-month post-transplantation follow-up and is in stable molecular remission as evaluated by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for the BCR/ABL fusion gene transcript. Our case demonstrates that STI571 can act as a bridge to potentially curative allogeneic stem cell transplant in otherwise poor prognosis Ph+ ALL.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the staff at the Haematology Section, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, for excellent care of our patient. We also wish to thank Novartis Sweden for giving us the opportunity to participate in the expanded excess programs of STI571. The report is supported by grants from the ‘Volvo-Assar Gabrielssons Foundation’, ‘Stiftelsen Jubileumsklinikens Forskningsfond mot Cancer’, and ‘FoU Västra Götaland’.

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  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology Section, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    P Wernstedt, M Brune, P-O Andersson, D Stockelberg & H Wadenvik

  2. Novartis AB, Stockholm, Sweden

    B Gustavsson

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  1. P Wernstedt
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  2. M Brune
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  3. P-O Andersson
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  4. B Gustavsson
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  5. D Stockelberg
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  6. H Wadenvik
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Wernstedt, P., Brune, M., Andersson, PO. et al. Favorable outcome with STI571 (imatinib mesylate) and allogeneic stem cell transplantation in a case of Ph+ chemorefractory acute lymphocytic leukaemia. Bone Marrow Transplant 30, 971–973 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1703760

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