Journal article
Safety and efficacy of imatinib cessation for CML patients with stable undetectable minimal residual disease: results from the TWISTER study
David M Ross, Susan Branford, John F Seymour, Anthony P Schwarer, Christopher Arthur, David T Yeung, Dang Phuong, Jarrad M Goyne, Cassandra Slader, Robin J Filshie, Anthony K Mills, Junia V Melo, Deborah L White, Andrew P Grigg, Timothy P Hughes
BLOOD | AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY | Published : 2013
Abstract
Most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with imatinib will relapse if treatment is withdrawn. We conducted a prospective clinical trial of imatinib withdrawal in 40 chronic-phase CML patients who had sustained undetectable minimal residual disease (UMRD) by conventional quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on imatinib for at least 2 years. Patients stopped imatinib and were monitored frequently for molecular relapse. At 24 months, the actuarial estimate of stable treatment-free remission was 47.1%. Most relapses occurred within 4 months of stopping imatinib, and no relapses beyond 27 months were seen. In the 21 patients treated with interferon before imatinib, a sho..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This work was supported by research funding from Novartis Pharmaceuticals (to the ALLG), a Leukaemia Foundation of Australia scholarship (D. M. R.), and a National Health and Medical Research Council Practitioner Fellowship (T.P.H.).