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- Title
Continuous complete hematological and cytogenetic remission with molecular minimal residual disease 9 years after discontinuation of interferon-alpha in a patient with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.
- Authors
Verbeek, W; König, H; Boehm, J; Kohl, D; Lange, C; Heuer, T; Scheibenbogen, C; Reis, H-E; Hochhaus, A; Graeven, U
- Abstract
Interferon-alpha has been used as standard therapy for patients with Philadelphia-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) for more than 20 years. Recently randomized trials have shown a superiority of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib in respect to its efficacy to induce complete hematological and cytogenetic remissions and more importantly in overall survival. Although follow-up is much shorter for imatinib than for interferon-alpha, this data changed the treatment algorithms in this disease. At the end of the era of interferon-alpha as a single-drug first-line treatment for most patients we present a case report which exemplifies a rare but exciting property of interferon-alpha in CML: the induction of complete hematological and cytogenetic remissions which can persist over years after discontinuation of the drug. Hence, the enrollment of CML patients in clinical trials which explore a combination treatment of imatinib and interferon-alpha is warranted.
- Publication
Acta haematologica, 2006, Vol 115, Issue 1-2, p109
- ISSN
0001-5792
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1159/000089476