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Occurrence of additional chromosome aberrations in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with imatinib mesylate

Leukemia volume 17, pages 461–463 (2003)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

Over the last decades therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) consisted of hydroxyurea or interferon. Recently, the selective competitive inhibitor of the BCR-ABL protein tyrosine kinase imatinib mesylate (formerly STI571; Novartis, Basel, Switzerland), was introduced into the therapy of CML.1,2 However, several different mechanisms of resistance to imatinib have been observed.3,4 The occurrence of karyotype abnormalities in addition to the Ph translocation is associated with acceleration of the disease and has also been shown to play a role in CML patients resistant to imatinib.5 An increase in the number of additional cytogenetic changes and the development of non-standard karyoytpe abnormalities has been reported in interferon-treated patients.6,7 To estimate the occurrence of secondary karyotypic changes and their impact on response to imatinib therapy, we investigated 140 patients with BCR-ABL positive CML prior to and during treatment with imatinib.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by a grant from the German José Carreras-Foundation to TH and AH, and by a grant from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Kompetenznetz ‘Akute und chronische Leukämien’ – 01GI9980/6.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine III, Laboratory for Leukemia Diagnostics, University Hospital Grosshardern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, München, 81377, Germany

    C Schoch, T Haferlach, W Kern, S Schnittger & W Hiddemann

  2. III. Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum Mannheim der Universität Heidelberg, Germany

    U Berger, R Hehlmann & A Hochhaus

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  1. C Schoch
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  2. T Haferlach
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  4. S Schnittger
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  6. R Hehlmann
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  7. W Hiddemann
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  8. A Hochhaus
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Schoch, C., Haferlach, T., Kern, W. et al. Occurrence of additional chromosome aberrations in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with imatinib mesylate. Leukemia 17, 461–463 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402813

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