Haematologica (Dec 2008)
Chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis treated with imatinib 600 mg: outcome of the patients alive after a 6-year follow-up
Abstract
Background Imatinib mesylate is the first line treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia. In patients with advanced phase of the disease, the advent of imatinib significantly increased survival. However, few long-term data, based on large, prospective and controlled trials are available on the outcome of these patients.Design and Methods We conducted a phase II trial of imatinib 600 mg daily in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis. The return to chronic phase was defined as