Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia - Highlights

Highlights

Drug Approval

Nelarabine (Arranon) has been approved to treat adults and children with T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The drug is for patients who have not benefited from chemotherapy or whose cancer has returned after treatment.

Drug Research

• The first phase of chemotherapy treatment is called ?induction therapy." Its goal is to make the cancer disappear. Research presented at the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting suggested that an investigational induction therapy routine that use two types of cancer-killing drugs instead of four may work better for adults with ALL. Instead of using the standard L-20 regimen of cyclophosphamide and other drugs, the investigational treatment combined cytabarine and high-dose mitoxantrone. This regimen also worked well for patients with Philadelphia chromosome type ALL.
• Imatinib (Gleevec) is showing promise as a first-line treatment for Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL. In a 2005 study of 29 patients, 80% had their cancer disappear. The drug also helped improve overall survival rates.
• AMN-107 is an investigational drug that is showing excellent results in treating patients who have not been helped by imatinib. Some experts think that this drug may eventually become the standard treatment for patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL. Significant results from AMN-107 trials were presented at the 2005 meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Stem Cell Transplantation Long-Term Effects

Patients who receive a stem cell transplant are generally as healthy 10 years later as patients who never had a transplant, according to an encouraging study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. However, they may have a few more problems in some specific medical areas. These problems can include:

• Muscle stiffness and cramping
• Joint pain
• Increased urination and leaking
• Sexual problems
• Low thyroid levels
• Osteoporosis