Dasatinib Is Safe and Effective in Philadelphia Chromosome-positive Pediatric ALL
Adding dasatinib to the EsPhALL regimen was safe and effective for pediatric patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), according to an oral presentation at the 2017 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.۱
Previous studies demonstrated that adding the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib to various chemotherapy regimens improved event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in pediatric Ph+ ALL.
For this phase 2 study, investigators administered dasatinib, a TKI more potent than imatinib, to 106 pediatric patients on day 15 of induction chemotherapy in addition to the EsPhALL chemotherapy backbone regimen, and evaluated patient minimal residual disease (MRD).
Patients with MRD 0.05% and greater and those with MRD 0.005% to 0.05% at the end of day 78 (block Ib) who were MRD-positive after 3 additional cycles of high-risk chemotherapy underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) during first remission (CR1). Dasatinib treatment after HSCT was optional.
