Dasatinib: a review of its use in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Dasatinib (Sprycel?) is an orally administered small molecule inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases, including BCR-ABL and SRC family kinases, which is indicated for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), CML (chronic-, accelerated- or blast-phase) with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy, including imatinib, or Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy. Dasatinib is ≈325-fold more active than imatinib in inhibiting wild-type ABL kinase in vitro and is active against a wide variety of imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL mutants, except for T315I. This article reviews the efficacy and tolerability of dasatinib in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed chronic-phase CML or imatinib-resistant or -intolerant CML or Ph+ ALL, as well as summarizing its pharmacological properties. In clinical trials, oral dasatinib was effective in achieving major or complete cytogenetic responses in both newly diagnosed and imatinib-resistant or -intolerant chronic-phase CML. Dasatinib was likewise effective in achieving major or overall haematological responses in imatinib-resistant or -intolerant, accelerated- or blast-phase CML, or Ph+ ALL. Responses were rapidly achieved within 1-3 months and were durable over 1-5 years of follow-up. The majority of adverse events with dasatinib were of mild to moderate severity. Fluid retention (including pleural effusion) was the most common adverse event. Haematological abnormalities were common and cytopenias were the most common grade 3/4 adverse events. Dasatinib 100?mg administered once daily was as effective as dasatinib 70?mg administered twice daily, and was better tolerated, being associated with lower incidences of pleural effusion and grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia, in particular. Dasatinib was more effective than high-dose imatinib in the treatment of patients with imatinib-resistant chronic-phase CML and was more effective than standard dosages of imatinib, as well as being associated with less frequent fluid retention, in patients with newly diagnosed chronic-phase CML. Dasatinib was generally equally effective in patients with or without BCR-ABL mutations at baseline. Therefore, oral dasatinib is a highly effective once-daily therapy for the first-line treatment of newly diagnosed patients with chronic-phase CML, as well as for the treatment of patients with imatinib-resistant or -intolerant chronic- and advanced-phase CML or Ph+ ALL.     

Dasatinib: BMS 354825

Dasatinib [BMS 354825] is an orally active, small molecule, dual inhibitor of both SRC and ABL kinases that is under development with Bristol-Myers Squibb for the treatment of patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) and imatinib-acquired resistance/intolerance. While imatinib remains a frontline therapy for CML, patients with advanced disease frequently develop resistance to imatinib therapy through multiple mechanisms. These mechanisms include insufficient potency at therapeutic doses, activation of alternate oncogenic pathways, and overexpression of the multidrug-resistant gene. One of the possible causes of imatinib-acquired resistance is associated with increased expression of the SRC-related kinase Lyn and loss of BCR-ABL dependence arising from sequence mutations. In December 2005, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that it has completed the rolling NDA submission to the US FDA for dasatinib in the treatment of CML in chronic, accelerated or blast phases, as well as Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in patients with resistance or intolerance to prior treatment. At the Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Day in May 2005, the company stated that it plans to evaluate dasatinib in solid tumours. In in vitro assays, dasatinib induced apoptosis and had potent activity in the imatinib-resistant tumour cells lines and CML patient specimens. It effectively inhibited the proliferation of cells expressing nearly all imatinib-resistant isoforms. In vivo, dasatinib has shown efficacy, with no apparent toxicity, when administered orally in SCID mice with xenografts of imatinib-sensitive and resistant human CML cells lines. Dasatinib is also undergoing preclinical evaluation for its potential as a therapy against multiple myeloma. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a composition-of-matter patent covering this research approach that will expire in 2020.     

Dasatinib for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukaemias

BCR-ABL, a constitutively active tyrosine kinase, causes chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Rational development of drugs targeting BCR-ABL has significantly improved the treatment of CML. Imatinib (a BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor) produces haematological and cytogenetic remissions across all phases of CML and is the present standard of care. Imatinib resistance occurs in a significant proportion of patients and mechanisms of resistance include BCR-ABL mutations and activation of alternate oncogenic pathways. Dasatinib is a novel, potent, multi-targeted oral kinase inhibitor. Preclinical and clinical investigations demonstrate that dasatinib effectively overcomes imatinib resistance and has further improved the treatment of CML. Dasatinib was recently approved by the FDA for use in Philadelphia-positive leukaemias in patients who are resistant or intolerant to imatinib.     

Dasatinib for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukaemias

BCR-ABL, a constitutively active tyrosine kinase, causes chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Rational development of drugs targeting BCR-ABL has significantly improved the treatment of CML. Imatinib (a BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor) produces haematological and cytogenetic remissions across all phases of CML and is the present standard of care. Imatinib resistance occurs in a significant proportion of patients and mechanisms of resistance include BCR-ABL mutations and activation of alternate oncogenic pathways. Dasatinib is a novel, potent, multi-targeted oral kinase inhibitor. Preclinical and clinical investigations demonstrate that dasatinib effectively overcomes imatinib resistance and has further improved the treatment of CML. Dasatinib was recently approved by the FDA for use in Philadelphia-positive leukaemias in patients who are resistant or intolerant to imatinib.     

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors in acute and chronic leukemias

INTRODUCTION: Since the initial approval of imatinib much has been learned about its resistance mechanisms, and efforts have continued to improve upon BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Targeted therapy with TKIs has continued to be an area of active research and development in the care of acute and chronic leukemia patients. AREAS COVERED: This article reviews current approved and investigational TKI treatments for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph + ALL) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). EXPERT OPINION: There are now more potent BCR-ABL TKIs approved, which allow for additional options when determining front-line and second-line CML and Ph + ALL treatments. The T315I mutation is an ever-present challenge. Ponatinib, a pan BCR-ABL TKI, while still under investigation, is very hopeful with its ability to overcome T315I mutations in resistant CML and Ph + ALL patients. Because nilotinib and dasatinib have not been directly compared, at present we recommend selecting one or the other based on the side-effect profile, drug interactions, patient comorbidities, and mutational status. FLT-3 inhibition is of particular interest in AML patients with FLT-3 internal tandem duplication mutations; this type of targeted therapy continues to be studied.     

Dasatinib for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemias

Introduction: Dasatinib is a dual Abl/Src tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), which was developed to treat patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), who had failed or were intolerant to therapy with imatinib.

Areas covered: In this article, we review preclinical and clinical studies with dasatinib for the therapy of Philadelphia (Ph)-positive leukemias.

Expert opinion: Dasatinib is very effective in the setting of CML resistance or intolerance to imatinib, particularly in patients in chronic phase (CP). Dasatinib is also effective against most BCR-ABL1 mutations that arise during therapy with imatinib. Further studies have confirmed activity of dasatinib as a single-agent, and combined with chemotherapy, for the treatment of patients with Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+-ALL). More recently, randomized trials have demonstrated that dasatinib is superior to imatinib in the initial therapy of patients with CML, and the drug was approved by the FDA for this indication in 2011.     

Roots of imatinib resistance: A question of self-renewal?

The BCR-ABL-fusion gene is critical for the development of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and BCR-ABL positive acute lymphatic leukemia (Ph+ ALL). Blocking BCR-ABL by the ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate (IM, Gleevec) is clinically highly efficient. Treatment response is unfortunately compromised by the emergence of IM resistance, which is regularly seen in accelerated and blastic phase of CML (CML-AP/BP) and in Ph+ ALL. BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations are then considered the causative mechanism of IM resistance, because 50-60% of the IM resistant patients harbour such mutations. In contrast, IM resistance arises very rarely in patients that are treated with IM in early chronic phase of CML. This implies that BCR-ABL independent factors such as the cellular context of BCR-ABL expression and stage of disease decisively control the evolution of IM resistance. In line with this, novel Abl-kinase inhibitors such as dasatinib (DA) or nilotinib (NI) - although capable of inhibiting most of the BCR/-BL kinase mutants - still often fail to overcome resistance and do mostly not induce durable cytogenetic responses in IM resistant CML-AP/BC and Ph+ ALL patients. On the basis of available evidence it is proposed here that alternative genetic aberrations, which synergize with BCR-ABL to enable leukemic self-renewal are of causal importance for the evolution of clinical kinase inhibitor resistance. Kinase mutations may in turn reflect clonal variants of cells that emerge on the basis of an already existing IM resistant and self-renewing leukemic cell population. This model has clinical implications as it implies that even highly potent Abl-kinase inhibition can not target the genetic basis of IM resistance and will also not resolve the problem of Abl-kinase inhibitor resistance.     

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors in acute and chronic leukemias

Introduction: Since the initial approval of imatinib much has been learned about its resistance mechanisms, and efforts have continued to improve upon BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Targeted therapy with TKIs has continued to be an area of active research and development in the care of acute and chronic leukemia patients.

Areas covered: This article reviews current approved and investigational TKI treatments for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph + ALL) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

Expert opinion: There are now more potent BCR-ABL TKIs approved, which allow for additional options when determining front-line and second-line CML and Ph + ALL treatments. The T315I mutation is an ever-present challenge. Ponatinib, a pan BCR-ABL TKI, while still under investigation, is very hopeful with its ability to overcome T315I mutations in resistant CML and Ph + ALL patients. Because nilotinib and dasatinib have not been directly compared, at present we recommend selecting one or the other based on the side-effect profile, drug interactions, patient comorbidities, and mutational status. FLT-3 inhibition is of particular interest in AML patients with FLT-3 internal tandem duplication mutations; this type of targeted therapy continues to be studied.     

Dasatinib for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia after imatinib failure

Dasatinib, a potent, oral kinase inhibitor, is presently approved for Philadelphia-positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) following imatinib failure. In an in vitro study, dasatinib had 325-fold greater potency than imatinib for inhibiting unmutated BCR-ABL. Phase I and II data show that dasatinib 70 mg b.i.d. is effective after imatinib failure in various phases of CML. Comparative data of dasatinib versus high-dose imatinib in patients with resistance or intolerance to imatinib demonstrated that dasatinib was associated with improved response rates and progression-free survival. Side effects of dasatinib, including pleural effusions, are manageable with modification of dose or schedule. Phase III dose optimisation studies and future indications are also discussed.     

Dasatinib for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia after imatinib failure

Dasatinib, a potent, oral kinase inhibitor, is presently approved for Philadelphia-positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) following imatinib failure. In an in vitro study, dasatinib had 325-fold greater potency than imatinib for inhibiting unmutated BCR-ABL. Phase I and II data show that dasatinib 70 mg b.i.d. is effective after imatinib failure in various phases of CML. Comparative data of dasatinib versus high-dose imatinib in patients with resistance or intolerance to imatinib demonstrated that dasatinib was associated with improved response rates and progression-free survival. Side effects of dasatinib, including pleural effusions, are manageable with modification of dose or schedule. Phase III dose optimisation studies and future indications are also discussed.     

达沙替尼治疗伊马替尼耐药的 BCR／ABL阳性白血病

目的评价达沙替尼治疗伊马替尼耐药的BCR/ABL阳性白血病的疗效和安全性。方法对9例伊马替尼耐药的慢性髓系白血病（CML）或Ph阳性急性淋巴细胞白血病（Ph＋ALL）患者,给予达沙替尼100～140 mg·d-1口服治疗,评估疗效和耐受情况。结果 9例伊马替尼耐药的BCR/ABL阳性白血病,2例CML-CP患者均获得CHR,1例达CCyR;5例CML-BC患者中4例获得CHR和PCyR,1例NR;2例Ph＋ALL患者中1例检测到E255V突变,采用达沙替尼治疗达CHR和PCyR,1例诱导缓解时,同时行VDP方案化疗,继发严重感染死亡。结论达沙替尼治疗伊马替尼耐药的BCR/ABL阳性白血病患者可获得血液学甚至细胞遗传学缓解,且耐受性好。     

Dasatinib

Dasatinib is an orally bioavailable potent inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases, including ABL and SRC. Preclinical studies have shown dasatinib to be a much more potent inhibitor of BCR-ABL than imatinib is, and to harbor efficacy against nearly all imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL mutants. Phase I clinical studies have been conducted in imatinib-resistant and -intolerant chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia. No dose-limiting toxicity was observed at doses that harbored substantial clinical efficacy. Multinational phase II studies have confirmed the phase I experience and have led to accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of imatinib-resistant and -intolerant chronic myeloid leukemia as well as its full approval for the treatment of therapy-resistant Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia.     

Dasatinib in solid tumors

Importance of the field: Dasatinib is an oral, potent adenosine triphosphate-competitive inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases including BCR-ABL, c-KIT, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and Src family kinases (SFKs). It has gained much attention for its use in chronic myeloid leukemia and for the treatment of adults with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, dasatinib is also being explored in solid tumors in ongoing Phase I and II clinical trials.

Areas covered in this review: The clinical efficacy of dasatinib in a wide variety of solid tumors and important Phase I/II studies utilizing dasatinib and the optimal dosage used in solid tumors. A literature search was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, www.clinicaltrials.gov, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology websites to find relevant Phase I/II clinical trials during 1987 – 2009.

What the reader will gain: The understanding that the biology and mechanism of Src activation in tumors are not well understood and finding the optimal use of SFK inhibitors in the clinical setting requires further investigation.

Take home message: In reviewing the clinical safety data of dasatinib in its current use as a Src inhibitor in a wide variety of solid malignancies, dasatinib appears to be safe and is a promising agent for the treatment of metastatic solid tumors refractory to standard therapies.     

New tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia

Imatinib mesylate, Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has improved the treatment of Bcr-Abl-positive leukemia such as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph(+)ALL). However, resistance is often reported in patients with advanced-stage disease. Several novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which have been developed to override imatinib resistance mechanisms such as overexpression of Bcr-Abl and point mutations within the Abl kinase domain, are currently competing. Inhibitors of Abl tyrosine kinase are divided into two main groups, namely, ATP-competitive and ATP non-competitive inhibitors. Moreover, ATP-competitive inhibitors are fall into two subclasses, i.e. the Src/Abl inhibitors, and 2-phenylaminopyrimidin-based compounds. Dasatinib (formerly BMS-354825), AP23464, SKI-606 and PD166326 are classified as Src/Abl inhibitors while AMN107 and NS-187 (INNO-406) belong to the latter subclass of inhibitors. Among these agents, clinical studies on dasatinib and AMN107 had started earlier than the others and favorable results are accumulating. Clinical studies of other compounds including NS-187 (INNO-406) will be performed in rapid succession. Because of its strong affinity, most ATP competitive inhibitors may be effective against imatinib-resistant patients. However, to date, an ATP-competitive inhibitor that can inhibit the phosphorylation of T315I Bcr-Abl has not yet been developed. To address this problem, ATP non-competitive inhibitors such as ON012380, Aurora kinase inhibitor VX-680 and p38 MAP kinase inhibitor BIRB-796 have been developed. It may be necessary for the improvement of CML and Ph(+)ALL treatment to be taken into consideration of the combination therapy with novel ATP-competitive inhibitors and these agents.     

Imatinib.

Imatinib inhibits the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase created by the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph+) in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Complete haematological responses were achieved in 88% of patients and major cytogenetic responses were detected in 49% of patients with chronic phase CML treated with oral imatinib 400 mg/day in a multicentre noncomparative study of 532 patients. Administration of oral imatinib 400 or 600 mg/day to 235 patients with accelerated phase CML in a multicentre noncomparative study resulted in haematological responses in 63% of patients and major cytogenetic responses in 21% of patients. 26% of the 260 patients with blast crisis CML receiving imatinib 400 or 600 mg/day in a multicentre noncomparative trial sustained a haematological response and 13.5% of patients had a major cytogenetic response. Imatinib 400 or 600 mg/day orally achieved ahaematological response in 19 of 32 patients with Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in a pilot study. Clinical improvement was demonstrated in 89% of 36 patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours unresponsive to standard chemotherapy during treatment with 400 or 600 mg/day oral imatinib in a noncomparative phase II trial. Adverse events were frequent in clinical trials of imatinib but most events were mild or moderate in severity. Serious adverse events reported include severe fluid retention, cytopenias and hepatotoxicity.     

The role of therapeutic drug monitoring of imatinib in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and metastatic or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Imatinib mesylate is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used as first-line treatment in Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) and metastatic or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for imatinib has been suggested to improve efficacy, assess compliance, and evaluate drug-drug interactions. Imatinib has proven efficacy in improving treatment response and survival in patients with Ph+ CML and GIST. Several analytical methods are available to quantify total plasma imatinib concentrations. A good relationship exists between total imatinib plasma concentrations and pharmacologic response. Clinical evaluation of pharmacologic response to imatinib alone may be insufficient given the long duration of therapy before clinical response in patients with Ph+ CML and GIST. Thus, the authors have used a previously published 9-step decision-making algorithm to evaluate the utility of TDM for imatinib. The suggested trough concentrations for improved complete cytogenetic or major molecular response in patients with Ph+ CML and improved time to progression for patients with GIST are >1000 and >1100 ng/mL, respectively. Imatinib exhibits interindividual pharmacokinetic variability. Increased apparent clearance of imatinib has been observed in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia and increased body weight. Decreased apparent clearance has been observed in renal impairment and patients on concomitant medications with potent inhibition of cytochrome P450 3A4. Duration of therapy in patients with Ph+ CML and GIST is lifelong. Based on the available evidence, TDM for imatinib may provide additional information on efficacy, compliance, and safety than clinical evaluation alone. Patients with suboptimal response to treatment, treatment failure, rare adverse events, drug interactions, or suspected nonadherence will attain the greatest benefit from TDM.     

Flying under the radar: the new wave of BCR-ABL inhibitors

The introduction of the BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate (Gleevec; Novartis) revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). However, most patients with CML receiving imatinib still harbour molecular residual disease and some develop resistance associated with ABL kinase domain mutations. The second-generation BCR-ABL inhibitors nilotinib (Tasigna; Novartis) and dasatinib (Sprycel; Bristol-Myers Squibb) have shown significant activity after imatinib failure in clinical trials, but still face similar obstacles to imatinib, including negligible activity against the frequent BCR-ABL T315I mutation and modest effects in advanced phases of CML. Various medicinal chemistry efforts, in part aided by structural studies of the ABL kinase-imatinib complex have resulted in the synthesis of a new generation of BCR-ABL inhibitors, some of which have shown encouraging preliminary activity in clinical trials, including against T315I mutants. Here, we discuss these emerging therapies, which have the potential to improve the outcome of patients with CML.     

Resistance to imatinib (Glivec): update on clinical mechanisms.

Imatinib mesylate, an orally administered 2-phenylaminopyrimidine derivative that inhibits BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase activity, has shown great promise in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). This small molecule, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has also been shown to be effective against metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) expressing the stem cell factor (SCF) receptor kit. However, the threat of resistance in patients has prompted investigators to uncover the mechanisms whereby malignant cells develop resistance to imatinib, and has also led to the establishment of strategies designed to over-ride imatinib resistance. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the effectiveness of imatinib in the treatment of chronic, accelerated and blast crisis-phase CML, Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) and metastatic GIST. Established mechanisms of resistance to imatinib are discussed, as are novel therapeutic approaches to improving drug responsiveness by reversing development of imatinib resistance in patients.     

Recent developments in salvage chemotherapy for patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcoma

The number of effective cytotoxic agents for the treatment of patients with metastatic adult soft tissue sarcoma is limited, especially when patients have failed anthracycline- and ifosfamide-based chemotherapy. For the subgroup of patients with inoperable gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), progress has been made via the rapid development and approval of the targeted therapy imatinib. Small round cell tumours (SRCTs), such as Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumour, desmoplastic SRCT and rhabdomyosarcoma, are chemotherapy-sensitive and potentially curable malignancies, which are treated with multimodality, dose-intensive, neoadjuvant protocols regardless of size or overt metastatic disease. Most other high-grade (grading >I), so-called 'adult type', soft tissue sarcomas such as fibrosarcoma, liposarcoma, pleomorphic and synovial sarcomas are treated with an anthracycline-based regimen with or without ifosfamide as front-line therapy. In relapsed 'adult type' soft tissue sarcomas, trofosfamide, gemcitabine and trabectedin (ecteinascidin 743) appear to be drugs associated with some activity and an acceptable toxicity profile. A high activity has been reported for the taxanes, in particular for paclitaxel, in vascular sarcomas located in the scalp or face and in Kaposi's sarcoma. It is interesting to note that the different drugs have particular effects in distinct subtypes of soft tissue sarcoma; however, it should be taken into account that the number of patients included in the phase II trials is limited. The role of the newer agents (e.g. epothilones, brostallicin) is currently undefinable. Targeted therapy inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, RAF kinase, c-KIT or platelet-derived growth factor receptors will continue to be tested in GIST patients refractory to imatinib and in other sarcoma histologies.     

Dasatinib as an investigational drug for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults

Introduction: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with BCR-ABL1 translocation is an aggressive malignancy that is usually treated with intensive chemotherapy with the possibility of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The encoded fusion protein may be important for leukemogenesis; clinical studies show that dasatinib has an antileukemic effect in combination with steroids alone or intensive chemotherapy.

Areas covered: Relevant publications were identified through literature searches (the used terms being acute lymphoblastic leukemia plus dasatinib) in the PubMed database. We searched for original articles and reviews describing the pharmacology and clinical use of dasatinib in ALL with BCR-ABL1. The mechanism of action, pharmacology and clinical study findings are examined.

Expert opinion: Dasatinib is associated with a high complete remission rate in ALL when used alone and in combination with steroids or intensive chemotherapy. However, mutations at T315 and F317 are associated with dasatinib resistance. Overall toxicity has been acceptable in these studies and no unexpected toxicity was observed. It is not known whether the antileukemic effect of dasatinib differs between subsets of BCR-ABL1⁺ patients or is attributed to inhibition of the fusion protein alone, or a combined effect on several kinases, and whether dasatinib-containing combination treatment should be preferred in these patients instead of other emerging strategies, e.g. monoclonal antibodies.