Successful treatment with imatinib mesylate for Philadelphia chromosome-positive refractory acute myeloid leukemia

A 51-year-old man was diagnosed as having Philadelpha (Ph) chromosome-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with major-BCR/ABL mRNA. He achieved complete remission after induction chemotherapy. Five months later, he was again positive for the Ph chromosome despite additional chemotherapy. He was therefore treated with imatinib mesylate, a specific inhibitor of BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase, at a dose of 600 mg/day. However, the treatment was interrupted because of thrombocytopenia, skin eruption and face edema. After the patient recovered from these side effects, imatinib was readministered at a dose of 400 mg/day and a complete cytogenetic response was achieved. Imatinib is expected to be an effective drug for Ph chromosome-positive AML.