Treating chronic myeloid leukemia with dasatinib

This study aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of dasatinib treatment for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.  

This study concluded that dasatinib is safe and provides positive long-term outcomes for these patients.  

Dasatinib (Sprycel) is a targeted therapy used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). It is a type of targeted therapy called a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). It provides better outcomes than imatinib (Gleevec), the standard treatment for CML. However, the long-term results of using dasatinib as an initial therapy for chronic-phase CML (CP-CML) were unknown. 

This study involved 149 patients with CP-CML. Patients received either 100mg dasatinib daily or 50mg dasatinib twice daily. Patients were followed for an average of 6.5 years. 63% of patients were still receiving dasatinib treatment after 6.5 years.  

The complete cytogenic response (CCR) rate at 11 years was 92.6%. CCR is when no cells with Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome are found in the bone marrow. The Ph chromosome is associated with cancer.  

The major molecular response (MMR) rate at 11 years was 88.2%. MMR is when there is a low amount of BCR-ABL gene in blood. The BCR-ABL gene is associated with cancer. The average time to MMR was 6 months.  

The deep molecular response (MR4.5) rate at 11 years was 79.5%. MR4.5 is a sign of disease remission. The average time to MR4.5 was 23 months. 55% of patients achieved a sustained MR4.5 (over 2 years).  

The 10-year overall survival (OS) rate was 89%. The 10-year event-free survival (EFS) was 86%. The most common reasons for ending treatment were toxicity and chosen discontinuation.  

The most common side effects were fatigue, thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count) and infections.  

This study concluded that dasatinib as a first-line treatment is safe and produces excellent long-term survival outcomes for patients with CP-CML.  

This study received partial funding from Bristol-Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of dasatinib.