In a nutshell
This study looked at the safety and effectiveness of bosutinib (Bosulif) in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Researchers found that bosutinib was effective in patients who have failed other similar drug treatments.
Some background
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a cancer of the bone marrow. This can lead to abnormal cells of the immune cells. It is often treated with drugs that target certain proteins on cancer cells. This stops the cancer cell and kills it. However, some drugs may stop working. Some medications may be more effective than others. Bosutinib is a drug that targets proteins on cancer cells. It is used when other similar drugs have failed. It is important to research the effectiveness of bosutinib in these patients.
Methods & findings
62 patients with CML treated with bosutinib were included in this study. These patients had failed treatment with other similar drugs such as imatinib (Glivec), nilotinib (Tasigna) and dasatinib (Sprycel). Patients were on these treatments for an average of 105 months. Patients then received bosutinib for an average of 9 months.
25% of patients had no cancer cells after treatment with bosutinib. 24% had fewer signs of cancer in the blood after bosutinib treatment. After an average of 14 months, 68% of patients survived without any complications from the disease and 85% survived without the tumor growing or spreading.
16% of patients stopped treatment due to side effects. The most common side effects were fluid build-up in the lungs and diarrhea.
The bottom line
The study concluded that bosutinib was safe and effective in the treatment of patients with CML who have failed other drug treatments.
The fine print
This study was examining old data. More up-to-date research is needed to confirm these results.
Published By :
Annals of Hematology
Date :
Nov 17, 2018
