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TGF-alpha, IL-6 Levels Predict Responses and Outcomes in CML
March 22, 2016 | Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Hematologic Malignancies, Leukemia & Lymphoma
By Dave Levitan
Elevated levels of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) were strongly predictive of subsequent failure to achieve molecular response, and of transition to blast crisis (BC-CML) and survival outcomes, according to a new study. Previous studies have shown that the failure to achieve an early molecular response (EMR; defined as BCR-ABL1 ≤ 10% at 3 months) has poorer survival outcomes; EMR is also predictive of treatment outcomes on second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as nilotinib and dasatinib, suggesting that those with EMR failure may have intrinsic TKI resistance.
“Thus, the identification of relevant biomarkers is required so that alternative therapeutic approaches, preferably at the time of diagnosis, may be implemented in patients at high risk of EMR failure and transformation,” wrote study authors led by Deborah White, PhD, of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide.
The study involved analysis of plasma samples from CP-CML patients enrolled in the TIDEL-II trial; the researchers included samples from 186 patients prior to starting imatinib treatment, and from 17 patients after 6 months on TKI therapy, and these were compared with 19 healthy donor samples. The results were published in Leukemia.
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