文摘
Imatinib was the first BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor to become clinically available. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the long-term efficacy of low-dose imatinib (final maintenance dose <300?mg per day) due to intolerance, in comparison to optimal-dose imatinib (?00?mg per day) in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase. The Kaplan–Meier estimates of the median time to complete cytogenetic response, major molecular response, and complete molecular response were longer for 31 patients receiving low-dose imatinib (360, 1360, and 1420?days, respectively) than 74 patients receiving optimal-dose imatinib (170, 420, and 720?days, respectively). However, the differences in response shrank over time and progression-free survival were comparable between the two groups. These findings suggest that long-term treatment with low-dose imatinib is an acceptable alternative for patients with intolerance to the optimal dose.