Objective To compare the efficacy and safety between Chinese generic imatinib (Xinwei(R),Jiansu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co.,Ltd.) versus branded imatinib (Glivec(R),Novartis) in patients with newly-diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP).Methods Patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP were enrolled and assigned to receive either Xinwei or Glivec at an initial dose of 400 mg/d according to patients' financial capability.The efficacy and adverse effects were evaluated.Results From January 2014 to September 2015,145 eligible patients were assigned to Xinwei (n =89) or Glivec (n =56) group.All patients were treated and followed up at least 3 months.At 3 months,the complete response rates were 95.5％ (85/89) and 100％ (56/56),major cytogenetic response rates were 74.2％ (66/89) and 80.4％ (45/56),and the proportions of achieving BCR-ALBIS ≤ 10％ were 76.1％ (67/88) and 82.1％ (46/56) in Xinwei and Glivec groups respectively (all P ＞0.05).With a median follow-up of 12 months,2 patients in each group progressed to accelerate or blast phase.Hematologic and non-hematologic side effects were similar between the 2 groups.Conclusions Early hematological,cytogenetic and molecular responses between Xinwei and Glivec are comparable in newly-diagnosed CML-CP patients.The progression rate and side effects are also similar between the 2 groups.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficiency of dasatinib as the second- or third-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)in imatinib-resistant patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)based on BCR-ABL mutation detection.

METHODS122 CML patients received dasatinib treatment, including 83 with imatinib-resistance and 39 with both imatinib- and nilotinib-resistance, 55 in the chronic-phase (CP), 21 in the accelerated- phase (AP)and 46 in the blast- phase (BP). Those harboring dasatinib highly- resistant mutations (T315I/A, F317L/V/C and V299L)were excluded based on BCR-ABL kinase domain mutation screening by Sanger sequencing at baseline. Hematologic, cytogenetic and molecular responses were evaluated regularly, and rates of progression-free-survival (PFS)and overall survival (OS)were analyzed. BCR- ABL mutation detection was performed once the patients failed on dasatinib.

RESULTSIn the CP patients, the rates of complete hematological response (CHR), complete cytogenetic response (CCyR), major molecular response (MMR)and molecular response 4.5 (MR4.5)were 92.7%, 53.7%, 29.6% and 14.8%, respectively. 4-year PFS and OS rates were 84.4% and 89.5%, respectively. In the AP patients, HR and CCyR rates were 81.0% and 35.0%; and 3-year PFS and OS rates were 56.1% and 59.3%, respectively. In the BP patients, HR and CCyR rates were 63.0% and 21.4%; and 1-year PFS and OS rates were 43.6% and 61.8%, respectively. Outcomes were similar when dasatinib was used as the second- line TKI or the third-line TKI. Of the 75 patients who were resistant to dasatinib, 37 (48.7%)developed new mutation(s), and T315I (59.5%)was the most common mutation type. The patients who already harbored mutation(s)before dasatinib therapy achieved similar responses and outcomes to those with no mutation at baseline. However, they had higher likelihood of developing additional mutations associated with resistance to dasatinib (65.7%vs 34.1%,P=0.006).

CONCLUSIONSDasatinib was proved to be effective in the treatment of imatinib- or/and nilotinib-resistant CML patients, especially in both CP and AP cohorts. The significance of BCR-ABL mutation screening and monitoring should be highlighted before and during dasatinib therapy.

Blast Crisis ; Cytogenetics ; Dasatinib ; therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl ; metabolism ; Humans ; Imatinib Mesylate ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; drug therapy ; Mutation ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Pyrimidines

Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of Chinese generic imatinib with branded imatinib as frontline therapy in adults with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) (Frontline group) , and to explore the efficacy and safety of Chinese generic imatinib in CML-CP patients switching from branded imatinib (Switching group) . Methods: Frontline group: Data of adults with newly diagnosed CML-CP receiving Chinese generic imatinib (Xinwei^®) or branded imatinib (Glivec^®) between October 2013 and August 2018 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Switching group: Data of adults diagnosed with CML-CP who received branded imatinib and then switched to Chinese generic imatinib after achieving at least complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: Frontline group: In total, 409 adult patients receiving Chinese generic imatinib (n=201) or Glivec (n=208) were included in this study. Median age was 42 years (range, 18-83 years) . Comparison of baseline showed significant difference on demographic characteristics among two cohorts: lower education level (P<0.001) , and divorced or widowed status (P=0.004) and rural household registration (P<0.001) were more common in the generic imatinib cohort than those in the Glivec cohort. There was no significant difference on age, gender, Sokal risk score, WBC and HGB between the 2 cohorts. With a median follow-up of 25 months (range, 3-62 months) , there was no significant difference on the 3-year cumulative incidence of achieving CCyR (97.5% vs 94.5%, P=0.592) , major molecular response (MMR) (84.3% vs 93.1%, P=0.208) , molecular response^4.0 (MR^4.0) (42.7% vs 41.7%, P=0.277) , molecular response^4.5 (MR^4.5) (25.4% vs 33.0%, P=0.306) as well as the 3-year probabilities of failure free survival (FFS) (76.7% vs 81.0%, P=0.448) , progression free survival (PFS) (91.8% vs 96.3%, P=0.325) and overall survival (OS) (95.8% vs 98.5%, P=0.167) between the generic and branded imatinib cohorts. Multivariate analysis showed the type of imatinib was not associated with treatment responses and outcomes. The incidences of adverse effects were comparable in the 2 cohorts. Switching group: In total, 39 patients switching from branded imatinib to Chinese generic imatinib after achieving at least CCyR were included in this study. Median age was 42 years (range, 23-80 years) . With a median follow-up of 39 months (range, 6-63 months) , molecular responses were maintained in 23 (58.9%) patients and improved in 12 (39.8%) patients. Adverse effects were tolerable. Conclusion Demographic characteristics might influence the choice of the type of TKI used in CML-CP patients. There was a comparable efficacy and safety between the Chinese generic imatinib and the branded imatinib in adults with newly diagnosed CML-CP under standard management and closely monitoring. Patients could safely switch from the branded imatinib to the Chinese generic imatinib.

Objectives: To explore the incidence and factors of severe leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia in newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) to probe their impacts on cytogenetic and molecular responses, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) . Methods: Data of newly diagnosed patients with CML in the chronic phase (CP) and/or accelerated phase (AP) were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: 855 CML patients [including 744 (87%) in the CP and 111 (13.0%) in the AP] were included in this study. 523 (61.2%) patients were male with a median age of 39 years (range, 14-87 years) . 749 (87.6%) patients received imatinib, 93 (10.9%) nilotinib, and 13 (1.5%) dasatinib, respectively as front-line therapy. At a median treatment of 1 month (range, 0.1-7.0 months) , 137 (16.0%) developed ≥grade 3 leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia and recovered 0.6 month (range, 0.3-6.5 months) . Multivariate analysis showed that female gender (OR=1.5, 95%CI 1.0-2.2, P=0.033) , WBC ≥100×10⁹/L (OR=1.9, 95%CI 1.3-2.8, P=0.001) , CP in Sokal high-risk (OR=2.2, 95%CI 1.2-3.9, P=0.005) , AP with ≥15% blast cells in blood or bone marrow (OR=5.1, 95%CI 1.9-13.3, P=0.001) were factors associated with higher incidence of ≥grade 3 leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia. Severe leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia with time of drug discontinuance >2 weeks was associated with lower probabilities of achieving complete cytogenetic (OR=0.4, 95%CI 0.3-0.6, P<0.001) , severe leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia, no matter the time of drug discontinuance >2 weeks or ≤2 weeks, were associated with lower probabilities of achieving major molecular responses (OR=0.3, 95%CI 0.2-0.5, P<0.001; OR=0.7, 95%CI 0.5-1.0, P=0.036) and MR4.5 (OR=0.2, 95%CI 0.1-0.5, P=0.002; OR=0.7, 95%CI 0.4-1.1, P=0.110) ; however, those had no impacts on PFS and OS. Conclusions Severe leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia were common adverse events during TKI therapy. Female patients, WBC ≥100×10⁹/L at diagnosed, CP in Sokal high-risk, CML-AP with ≥15% blast cells in blood or bone marrow were at high risk for higher incidence of severe leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia. Those severe adverse events had impacts on lower cytogenetic and molecular response.

Objective: To compare the clinical features between the 2 cohorts developing myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeIogenous Ieukemia in Philadelphia chromosome-negative cells (Ph^- MDS/AML) and maintaining disease stable in the patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid Ieukemia (Ph⁺ CML) who had clonal chromosomal abnormalities in Philadelphia chromosome-negative metaphases (CCA/Ph^-) during tyrosine kinase inhibtor (TKI) - therapy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed Ph⁺ CML patients who developed CCA/Ph^- during TKI-therapy from May 2001 to December 2017. Results: Data of CCA/Ph^- 63 patients, including 7 progressing to Ph^- MDS/AML and 56 remaining disease stable were collected. Compared with those with stable disease, patients with Ph^-MDS/AML had lower hemoglobin (P=0.007) and platelet (P=0.006) counts, and higher proportion of peripheral blasts (P<0.001) when the first time CCA/Ph^- was detected, and more mosonomy 7 abnormality (5/7, 71.4%) when MDS or AML was diagnosed; meanwhile, trisomy 8 (32/56, 57.1%) was more common in those with stable disease. Outcome of the patients with Ph^- MDS/AML were poor. However, most of those with CCA/Ph^- and stable disease had optimal response on TKI-therapy. Conclusions A few patients with Ph⁺ CML developed CCA/Ph^- during TKI-therapy, most of them had stable disease, but very few patients developed Ph^- MDS/AML with more common occurrence of monosomy 7 or unknown cytopenia. Our data suggested the significance of monitoring of peripheral blood smear, bone marrow morphology and cytogenetic analysis once monosomy 7 or unknown cytopenia occurred.

Objective: To explore the efficacy and prognosis of nilotinib or dasatinib as second- or third-line treatment in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase (CP) and accelerated phase (AP) . Methods: From January 2008 to November 2018, the data of CML patients who failed first- or second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) -therapy received nilotinib or dasatinib as second-line and third-line therapy were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 226 patients receiving nilotinib or dastinib as second-line (n=183) and third-line (n=43) therapy were included in this study. With a median follow-up of 21 (range, 1-135) months, the cumulative rates of complete hematological response (CHR) , complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) and major molecular response (MMR) were 80.4%, 56.3%and 38.3%, respectively in those receiving TKI as second-line TKI therapy. The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 78.7%and 93.1%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that Sokal high risk, female gender, the best response achieved Conclusions The efficacy of dasatinib and nilotinib as second- or third-line TKI-therapy were active in the CML patients with TKI-resistance. The best response achieved on previous TKI-therapy, the disease phase before switching TKI, and the severe hematologic toxicity developing on the current TKI-therapy were associated with the responses and outcomes.

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of myeloid neoplasms with t (3;21) (q26;q22) . Methods: Clinical data of patients with t (3; 21) (q26; q22) , diagnosed as hematologic malignancies in Peking University people's hospital from January 2011 to March 2018, were collected retrospectively. 19 patients in our hospital and forty-eight patients bearing t (3;21) (q26;q22) with detailed survival data reported in literature were summarized. Kaplan- Meier method was used for survival analysis. Results: Among 19 patients, including 15 males and 4 females with a median age of 36 years (22-68 years) , 4 cases was diagnosed as de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) , 4 as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) , 3 as MDS-AML and 8 as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in myeloid blast transformation. All of the 19 patients were detected to have t (3;21) (q26;q22) by G-banding technique and 13 carried additional cytogenetic aberrations. 9 of the 19 patients were detected for positive AML1-MDS1 fusion genes. In the 9 patients with detailed follow-up data, 6 patients received chemotherapy and only 2 achieved complete remission (CR) while 4 with no response. During the follow-up period, 8 patients died and the median overall survival (OS) was 6 months (4.5 to 22 months) . Survival analysis of the present 9 patients together with the literature data showed that the prognosis was poor and the median OS was 7 months. In particular, AML/t-AML had the worst prognosis. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) could significantly improve survival, the median OS in HSCT group and non-HSCT group were 20.9 and 4.7 months respectively (P<0.001) . Conclusions t (3; 21) (q26; q22) is a rare recurrent chromosomal abnormality which is detected mainly in myeloid neoplasm and confer to poor clinical prognosis. HSCT should be recommended to improve the outcomes.

Objective: To compare the cytogenetic response detected by conventional banding analysis (CBA) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and to explore the correlation between the cytogenetic and molecular response in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients during tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. Methods: CBA, FISH and real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) methods were performed to detect the cytogenetic and molecular response simultaneously in 504 bone marrow samples from 367 CML patients who received TKI treatment. Results: Among 504 samples, 344 were detected to reach complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) by CBA, while 297 samples reached CCyR by FISH which were considered to carry BCR-ABL positive cells<1%. When the results of CBA, FISH and RQ-PCR were compared in 493 samples at the same time, it showed that in 337 samples with CBA-CCyR, 273 (81.0%) reached FISH-CCyR and 289 (85.8%) were BCR-ABL^IS (International Scale, IS) ≤1% by RQ-PCR, compared to 9.0 (261/290) were BCR-ABL^IS ≤1% among 290 samples with FISH-CCyR. There was no significant difference in the median value of BCR-ABL^IS between samples in CBA-CCyR and FISH-CCyR (0.21% vs 0.13%, z=-1.875, P=0.061) . Furthermore, when the samples were divided into three groups according to BCR-ABL positive cells (0,>0~<1%, 1%~5%) by FISH, the statistical difference was observed, the proportion of samples with BCR-ABL^IS ≤1% in the three groups were 94.1%, 57.6% and 27.7% respectively (χ²=43.499, P<0.001; χ²=9.734, P=0.003) , while the median value of BCR-ABL^IS were 0.10%, 0.64% and 1.80% respectively (z=-5.864, P<0.001; z=-4.787, P<0.001) . Conclusion FISH results were in good concordance with CBA in identify samples in CCyR, FISH was more sensitive and had better correlation with RQ-PCR results than CBA, but how to define FISH-CCyR need further study.

OBJECTIVE: To trace a rare case of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with a four-way Philadelphia chromosome variant by cytogenetic analysis in order to provide a basis for the selection of treatment. METHODS: Bone marrow morphology, chromosomal karyotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) were used for the diagnosis and staging of the disease. Point mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of ABL1 gene were detected by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: The patient was initially diagnosed as CML in chronic phase (CML-CP) with a chromosomal karyotype of 46,XX,t(5;9;22;6)(q13;q34;q11;q25), while FISH revealed presence of a variant Philadelphia chromosome translocation. Clonal evolution has occurred after 38 months of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment, when cytogenetic analysis revealed coexisting t(5;9;22;6)(q13;q34;q11;q25) and t(5;9;22;6;17)(q13;q34;q11;q25;q11). After 57 months of TKIs treatment, only the t(5;9;22;6;17) clone was detected. Three months later, hyperdiploidy with additional abnormalities were detected in addition to t(5;9;22;6;17). Three mutations, including p.Tyr253Phe, p.Thr315Ile and p.Gly250Glu, were identified in the tyrosine kinase domain of the ABL1 gene during the course of disease. The patient did not attain cytogenetic and molecular response to TKIs. CONCLUSION The four-way variant translocation may be genetically unstable. Clonal evolution and genetic mutations are likely to occur during TKIs treatment, resulting in poor response to drug therapy. This observation, however, needs to be confirmed by large-scale studies.
Enzyme Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Evolution, Molecular ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; Philadelphia Chromosome ; Translocation, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo report on a case of therapy-related acute monocytic leukemia(t-AML) with t(11;17) (q23;q21)/MLL-AF17q after successful treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL) with t(15;17) (q22;q21)/PML-RARα.

METHODSA MICM method (bone marrow morphology(M), immunophenotype(I), cytogenetics(C), and molecular biology(M)) was used for the diagnosis and classification of the disease at the time of onset and transformation.

RESULTSThe patient was initially identified with typical morphology and immunophenotype of APL. She has carried t(15;17)(q22;q21) and PML-RARα fusion gene but was without t(11;17)(q23;q21) or MLL gene abnormalities. After 13 months of successful treatment, she has transformed to AML with typical morphology and immunophenotype. t(11;17)(q23;q21) and MLL-AF17q fusion gene were detected in her bone marrow sample, while no PLZF-RARα fusion gene was detected by real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR(RQ-PCR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH).

CONCLUSIONt-AML is a serious complication after successful treatment of APL. t(11;17)(q23;q21) is not specific for the diagnosis of variant APL and can also be detected in t-AML. RQ-PCR and FISH are essential for the diagnosis of such patients.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17 ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Leukemia, Monocytic, Acute ; genetics ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Second Primary ; genetics