Switching to second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor improves the response and outcome of frontline imatinib-treated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia with more than 10% of BCR-ABL/ABL ratio at 3 months.

Chronic myeloid leukemia patients display heterogeneous responses to imatinib. Survival depends on baseline clinical characteristics (including prognostic scoring systems) and on early response (such as >10% BCR-ABL/ABL ratio at 3 months of therapy). The results of switching to second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (2GTKIs) may contain a bias since, in the majority of these studies, patients who switch treatment due to intolerance or failure are censored or excluded.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and pregnancy: a review of ten cases.

Background And Objectives: A series of women with pregnancy-associated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, is presented. This study will focus on the relationship between thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and pregnancy and on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Among forty-six consecutive patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, nine pregnant patients were identified.

A randomized study of intermediate as compared with high doses of interferon-alpha for chronic myeloid leukemia: no differences in cytogenetic responses.

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is a therapy of unquestionable efficacy in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. The best dose of IFN-alpha in the treatment of CML still remains controversial. Our primary objective was to compare cytogenetic responses in patients treated with intermediate versus high doses of IFN-alpha.

Two groups of chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia: myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative. Prognostic implications in a series of a single center.

The clinical records of 70 patients seen at our hospital between 1976 and 1998 and diagnosed as suffering from chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) were reviewed in order to confirm the validity of the classification into two forms of disease that the French-American-British Co-operative Leukaemia Group (FAB) proposed in 1994: myelodysplastic (MD) and myeloproliferative (MP), depending on the peripheral white blood cell count (WBC) (less or more than 13 x 10(9)/l, respectively). After the rejection of incomplete records and lost to follow up patients, our study population consisted of 49 records. Our results confirm that, even though this classification is useful in order to separate two classes of patients, it is not enough to predict the prognosis in an accurate manner.

Stage, percentage of basophils at diagnosis, hematologic response within six months, cytogenetic response in the first year: the main prognostic variables affecting outcome in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase treated with interferon-alpha. Results of the CML89 trial of the Spanish Collaborative Group on interferon-alpha2a and CML.

Background And Objective: Interferon-a (IFN) is increasingly being used as the drug of choice in chronic myeloid leukemia patients. The main objectives of the study were to study the influence of the classic prognostic variables and response to IFN, and to assess the influence of this response on the course of the disease and survival.

Design And Methods: Single arm, prospective, multicenter study, without a control group.