Does switching to a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor or increasing imatinib dose have long-term benefits in chronic myeloid leukemia patients with suboptimal responses under upfront standard-dose of imatinib?

In current practice, most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) receive frontline imatinib mesylate (IM) as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, and approximately 70% of them achieve complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) after 12 months of therapy. However, in the long-term follow-up, about 40% of these patients fail upfront IM treatment due to resistance and/or intolerance [1]. Nearly half of these patients may achieve durable responses with second-generation TKIs (2G-TKIs) (dasatinib, nilotinib, and bosutinib).
Source: Leukemia Research - Category: Hematology Authors: Source Type: research