Kantarjian Hagop M, Bueso-Ramos Carlos E, Talpaz Moshe, O'Brien Susan, Giles Francis, Rios Mary Beth, Shan Jianqin, Cortes Jorge
Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Leuk Lymphoma. 2005 Jul;46(7):993-7. doi: 10.1080/10428190500097581.
One hundred and ten patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) post-interferon-a failure treated with imatinib mesylate therapy were analyzed for the prognostic significance of marrow reticulin stain-measured fibrosis. The median time from diagnosis was 31 months. Severe reticulin (grade 3 - 4) fibrosis was observed in 67 patients (61%). Patients with severe marrow fibrosis had similar complete cytogenetic response rates with imatinib (67 vs. 58%; P = 0.45) compared with those with mild?-?moderate fibrosis. The estimated 4 year survival rates (80 vs. 88%; P = 0.27) and failure-free survival rates (69 vs. 77%; P = 0.34) were also not different. We conclude that the previously established poor prognostic significance of marrow fibrosis in CML is less relevant with imatinib therapy.
