Glivec Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Glivec, including details on gleevec, imatinib, cancer, treatment, side-effects.

Skin and stomach graft versus host disease after syngeneic BMT in CML: A case report.

Pelosini M, Galimberti S, Benedetti E, Caracciolo F, Fazzi R, Petrini M, Papineschi F

Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, Department of Oncology, Transplant and Advances in Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy.

Imatinib has had a major impact on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment strategies. Graft versus host disease (GVHD) has been described in the syngeneic transplant setting, either with or without administration of cyclosporine for GVHD prophylaxis, and it can involve skin, liver and digestive tract. It is probably cause by an auto-reactive T clone, and a graft versus tumor effect has also been postulated. We describe the case of a patient with CML unresponsive to hydroxyurea and interferon, who achieved molecular complete remission (CR) with imatinib therapy. After treatment with syngeneic BMT, she developed acute skin and gastric GVHD. The patient is still in molecular remission and is in good clinical condition, suggesting that syngeneic transplantation is a safe approach and that it may be associated with a graft versus leukaemia (GVL) effect whose appearance depends on donor and recipient characteristics.

Published 1 March 2007 in Leuk Res.
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