Mutations of the BCR-ABL-kinase domain occur in a minority of patients with stable complete cytogenetic response to imatinib. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Residual leukemia is demonstrable by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who obtain a complete cytogenetic response (CCR) to imatinib. In patients who relapse during imatinib therapy, a high rate of mutations in the kinase domain of BCR-ABL have been identified, but the mechanisms underlying disease persistence in patients with a CCR are poorly characterized. To test whether kinase domain mutations are a common mechanism of disease persistence, we studied patients in stable CCR. Mutations were demonstrated in eight of 42 (19%) patients with successful amplification and sequencing of BCR-ABL. Mutation types were those commonly associated with acquired drug resistance. Four patients with mutations had a concomitant rise of BCR-ABL transcript levels, two of whom subsequently relapsed; the remaining four did not have an increase in transcript levels and follow-up samples, when amplifiable, were wild type. BCR-ABL-kinase domain mutations in patients with a stable CCR are infrequent, and their detection does not consistently predict relapse. Alternative mechanisms must be responsible for disease persistence in the majority of patients.

publication date

  • January 25, 2007

Research

keywords

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive
  • Mutant Proteins
  • Mutation
  • Piperazines
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Pyrimidines

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 33847191776

PubMed ID

  • 17252009

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 21

issue

  • 3