Gleevec Better Than Interferon for Leukemia

Ivanhoe Newswire
Thursday, December 7, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) Imatinib (Gleevec) may be the best treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute in Portland compared 553 newly diagnosed CML patients on Gleevec to 553 on interferon. Before Gleevec was available, interferon was considered the standard treatment for CML patients.

Researchers found the cytogenetic response (removal of the cells with the abnormal chromosome) in patients on Gleevec was 69 percent after 12 months and 87 percent after five years. And overall survival in those who took Gleevec as their initial therapy was 89 percent after five years. Gleevec also kept CML from getting worse or recurring.

Using previous research to compare the two drugs, Gleevec proved so superior to interferon that many of the patients in the interferon group switched to it.

The authors conclude, "After five years of follow-up, continuous treatment of chronic-phase CML with imatinib as initial therapy was found to induce durable responses in a high proportion of patients."

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SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2006;355:2408-17