Every once in a while something in medicine amazes me...

[DrDrToBe]

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I was just reading the section in Step Up to Medicine on CML, and in the treatment section it says " Chemotherapy may control symptoms before the acute phase develops, but this is a progressive disease with no cure." Also says "survival is unpredictable, but the average is 3 years." This book was published 2008, a mere three years ago. Now in the MKSAP explanation for a question on CML, it says "Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia is associated with complete hematologic remission in 95% of patients." We've all heard the Gleevec story, but seeing the contrast is pretty amazing. THAT is what medicine is about, and one of the many reasons I love this field 🙂

 

[OveractiveBrain]

I was just reading the section in Step Up to Medicine on CML, and in the treatment section it says " Chemotherapy may control symptoms before the acute phase develops, but this is a progressive disease with no cure." Also says "survival is unpredictable, but the average is 3 years." This book was published 2008, a mere three years ago. Now in the MKSAP explanation for a question on CML, it says "Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia is associated with complete hematologic remission in 95% of patients." We've all heard the Gleevec story, but seeing the contrast is pretty amazing. THAT is what medicine is about, and one of the many reasons I love this field 🙂

Until you practice medicine and realize that almost all CMLs escape Gleevac and flip into a blast crisis anyway...

Raining on parades...

 

[DrDrToBe]

Really??? I didn't realize that...oh well, that means a miracle drug is still waiting to be discovered!

 

[Siverhideo1985]

Maybe we can save this parade?

http://oncology-hematology.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2011/426/2

Edit: when i click on the link now I can't get to the paper, but when I google search it, for some reason I can...weird.

"This study included centers in Europe, North America, and Asia and provides real-world, population-based verification of the highly favorable outcomes and a generally modest toxicity profile of imatinib observed in earlier, randomized phase III trials (JW Oncol Hematol Mar 18 2008, and Blood 2008; 112:abstract 186). Of note, the authors found that overall survival approximated that of the general population — a remarkable testimony to the efficacy of this targeted therapy. "

"Imatinib for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Real-World Perspective" - that's the title of the article.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Never mind that other "backup" bcr-abl inhibitors like dasatinib and nilotinib exist for people with CML that's either unresponsive or resistant to imatinib.