Background: Treatment for
Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) is mainly imatinib mesylate (IM) from
original-brand, Glivec? or
generic-type homologs, Imatib?. Materials and Methods: A collection
of 149 CML patients was treated over a period of 6 years at Hiwa hospital.
These patients were clustered into three groups: Group A was treated with
Imatib for more than one year. All survivors of group A patients were switched
to Glivec, classified as group B. Group C received only Glivec after June 2011.
Imatib and Glivec are administered at doses 400-, 600- and 800-mg according to
the CML stage. Results: Among group A patients, 68 (60%) were in complete
haematological response (CHR), 32 (28.3%) developed acceleration and 13 (11.5%)
patients were deceased. After switching to Glivec (group B), 69 (69%) patients
remained in CHR, 10 (10%) patients weredeceased and 21 (21%) patients remained
in acceleration. Of the 36 patients in group C, 33 (91.7%) were in CHR, 1 (2.8%) were in
acceleration and 2 (5.5%) deceased. Those patients with CHR were tested
randomly for BCR/ABL by FISH, and only 1/25 (4%) patients were found with
complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) in group A, while 31/42 (73.8%) and 13/17
(76.5%) have CCyR in group B and C, respectively. Conclusions: Our results
demonstrate a less cytogenetic response to treatment in patients of CML, who
received the Imatib therapy, while a significant cytogenetic remission was
found in patients with CHR after they switched to Glivec.