Roswell Park Researchers Evaluate Promising Drug for Intolerant or Resistant CML

BUFFALO, NY- Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) scientists are investigating a promising drug for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who have become intolerant or resistant to standard therapies. Meir Wetzler, MD, Department of Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, analyzed the effectiveness of omacetaxine (OM) in an ongoing phase II clinical study and will present the findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2009 annual meeting, May 29 – June 2, in Orlando, FL.

“Subcutaneous Omacetaxine Mepesuccinate in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) Patients Resistant or Intolerant to Two or More Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs): Data from an Ongoing Phase II Trial”
Friday, May 29 – 5 pm EST Level 2, West Hall F1

Cancer therapies that target specific proteins have become standard treatment for patients diagnosed with chromic myeloid leukemia. A protein, BCR-ABL, causes CML cells to grow and reproduce out of control. Drugs that target BCR-ABL are known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Roswell Park investigators, under the direction of Dr. Wetzler, evaluated omacetaxine in 60 patients who had failed at least two TKIs.

Sixty-five CML patients participated in this phase II clinical study. Dr. Wetzler and colleagues report patients experienced treatment responses in both the white blood cells (hematologic) and the marrow cells (cytogenetic).

Eighty percent of the chronic-phase patients experienced a complete hematologic response (CHR) rate and no disease progression for a median of 7.5 months. In this same group, 20% had a major cytogenetic response rate, and median response to disease progression was 2.7 months. For study patients in the accelerated phase, a 60% CHR rate was observed, with a median of 8.9 months without disease progression; and for blast phase patients, a CHR rate was 40%, with a median duration of 5.7 months.

Dr. Wetzler reports that omacetaxine is generally well tolerated and that most side effects are reversible.

“Targeted therapies have changed the treatment approach and improved survival rates for patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. However, patients who develop resistance to these therapies have few options. Omacetaxine is among the next generation of novel therapies that may offer hope for those patients,” said Dr. Wetzler.

The mission of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. RPCI, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or email askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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Source:
1. Roswell Park Researchers Evaluate Promising Drug for Intolerant or Resistant CML