Publication at First Faculty of Medicine |
2008
Abstract
Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common subtype of ALL in adults. The prognosis of adult patients with Ph+ ALL treated only with chemotherapy is poor, with a less than 10% probability of long-term survival.
Therefore, allogeneic stem cell transplantation performed during the first remission is the recommended therapy. Recently, the availability of imatinib mesylate and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors and small molecules that affect the BCR-ABL signaling pathways has introduced a new therapeutic opportunity, and could change the treatment paradigm and prognosis for these patients.