Long term results of combined treatment with imatinib and interferon in patients with the newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase

The problem of development of resistance to therapy is one of the most actual in treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. The possibility to use the combination of imatinib and cytosine arabinozide in order to prevent the resistance to imatinib and of combination of interferon + interferon alpha in case of reduction of Ph-positive metaphases less than 35 % has been investigated. 14 patients in chronic phase have been examined. All of them achieved complete hematologic response. In 93 % of cases patients achieved complete cytogenetic response. In 60 % of cases The complete molecular response has been observed. Also there was one case of primary and one case of secondary cytogenetic resistance. In 11 of the rest 12 patients the combined therapy was stopped due to non-hematologic toxicity. The analysis of the long term survival of patients (after 7 years from the treatment start) showed that all the patients were alive.

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Khoroshko N.D. – doctor of medical sciences, professor, е-mail: khoroshko@blood.ru