ISSN 2997-1036
International Journal of Hematology | Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2010 | pp. 1–8
DOI: 10.46882/2010/IJH/000001
Original Article
Title: Clinical outcomes of low-dose imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia patients with BCR-ABL1 transcript variations
Names of Authors: A. B. Mensah¹, C. D. Okafor², E. F. Adebayo³
Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Hematology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria; ²Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; ³Department of Pathology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Abstract: Chronic myeloid leukemia requires precise therapeutic monitoring, yet data on low-dose imatinib efficacy in variant transcripts remain limited. This prospective cohort study evaluated 45 adult patients harboring atypical BCR-ABL1 fusion transcripts treated with a reduced maintenance dose of 200 mg daily following initial molecular response. Over a 24-month observation period, complete cytogenetic response was sustained in 82.2% of participants. Major molecular response (BCR-ABL1 ≤ 0.1% IS) was maintained in 71.1% of cases. Progression-free survival at 2 years reached 88.9%, with an overall survival rate of 95.5%. Mild to moderate adverse events, predominantly grade 1 or 2 fatigue and periorbital edema, occurred in 26.6% of patients and resolved without treatment cessation. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction demonstrated stable transcript kinetics across variant subgroups (e13a3 and e14a3). These findings suggest that low-dose imatinib maintains satisfactory molecular control and favorable tolerability profiles in selected chronic myeloid leukemia cohorts with non-standard transcript types, potentially reducing financial and toxicity burdens in resource-constrained settings.
Keywords: Chronic myeloid leukemia, imatinib, BCR-ABL1 transcripts, molecular response, survival analysis
Manuscript Timeline: Received: October 12, 2009; Revised: November 20, 2009; Accepted: December 05, 2009; Published: January 10, 2010