Mechanisms of resistance to imatinib in Chronic Myelod Lukemia
By: Kayla Kerr, (Campion College)
Summary
Imatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat a number of leukemias, myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative disease, systemic mastocytosis, hypereosinophilic syndrome, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Imatinib is a small molecule kinase inhibitor that revolutionized the treatment of cancer, particularly chronic myeloid leukemia, in 2001. It was deemed a 'miracle drug' due to its clinical success, as oncologist Dr. Brian noted that complete hematologic responses were observed in 53 of 54 patients with CML treated with a daily dosage of 300 mg or more and typically occurred in the first four weeks of therapy. The discovery of imatinib also established a new group of therapy called 'targeted therapy', since treatment can be tailored specifically to the unique cancer genetics of each patient. Imatinib was approved on February 1st ,2001 by the FDA and November 7th, 2001 by the EMA; however, its European approval has been withdrawn in October 2023.
Pathways for Imatinib (Source: PharmGKB)
By: Kayla Kerr. The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Elio Academy.