Heart Failure Is Rare Among Leukemia Patients On Imatinib, Study Finds

[Guest guest]

Source: University of Texas <http://www.mdanderson.org/> M. D.

Cancer Center

Date: September 6, 2007

More on: Heart Disease

<http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/heart_disease/> , Stroke

Prevention <http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/stroke/> ,

Diseases and Conditions

<http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/diseases_and_conditions/>

, Leukemia <http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/leukemia/> ,

Today's Healthcare

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Heart Failure Is Rare Among Leukemia Patients On Imatinib, Study Finds

Science Daily <http://www.sciencedaily.com/> - Congestive heart failure

rarely occurs among leukemia patients who take imatinib, researchers at The

University of Texas M. D. Cancer Center found after an exhaustive

review of the detailed medical histories of 1,276 patients who enrolled in

clinical trials for the drug.

Researchers found 22 patients, or 1.7 percent, had symptoms that could have

been caused by heart failure. Of those, 18 had previous medical conditions

that could also cause heart failure, such as type II diabetes, hypertension,

irregular heartbeat or coronary artery disease. Six had congestive heart

failure before entering treatment.

" Imatinib remains a safe drug, but monitoring patients and knowing their

medical histories are always important, " says Cortes, M.D., senior

author of the report and professor in M. D. 's Department of

Leukemia. " There is no current need for routine cardiac-specific monitoring

of all patients taking imatinib. However, those with significant cardiac

history need to be closely monitored. Patients who develop symptoms of heart

failure should be evaluated carefully and treated with standard therapy. "

Of the 22 patients found to have cardiovascular conditions, 11 were able to

continue on imatinib for their leukemia after dose adjustments and

management of the heart failure symptoms. The standard of care for treatment

includes the use of beta blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme

inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, notes study co-author

Jean-Bernard Durand, M.D., an assistant professor in M. D. 's

Department of Cardiology. Both classes of drugs are approved by the FDA for

treatment of heart failure and recommended by the Heart Failure Society of

America.

The team also found the incidence of congestive heart failure among patients

receiving imatinib to be comparable to the expected incidence in the general

population as reported by the Framingham Heart Study, a defining long-term

study of cardiovascular disease in the United States.

Imatinib, known by its brand name Gleevec and developed by Novartis

Pharmaceuticals, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for

the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), Philadelphia-chromosome

positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia d(ALL) and gastrointestinal stromal

tumor, a rare solid tumor cancer.

Imatinib is a targeted therapy that inhibits two members of a class of

enzymes called tyrosine kinases, which transmit growth and survival signals

in cells. The drug also blocks a hybrid tyrosine kinase known to cause CML

and Philadelphia-positive ALL.

Before the drug was developed, about only about half of CML patients

survived for five years after diagnosis. The five-year survival rate of

patients taking imatinib is 95 percent.

In a separate paper late last year, a research team led by scientists at the

University of Pennsylvania reported that imatinib may be cardiotoxic in

mammals. They found stress-induced damage to the mitochondria - the

powerhouse organs in cells - in cardiac muscle of mice given the drug. They

also implicated inhibition of Abl, one of the tyrosine kinases targeted by

imatinib, as the molecular mechanism that causes the damage.

Additionally, 10 patients at M. D. who developed congestive heart

failure after exposure to imatinib were described in the paper. The paper

did not assess the frequency of heart failure among patients taking imatinib

or the potential risk factors involved.

Durand, who was also a co-author on the earlier paper, says research

continues to address how tyrosine kinase inhibition might affect

cardiovascular risk. " We continue to work closely with oncologists to

identify early biochemical markers which may predict patients at risk and

implement medical therapy earlier to increase the success of tyrosine kinase

inhibitors in CML patients, " Durand says.

The results were reported in the Aug. 15 edition of the journal Blood.

Co-authors of the Blood paper with Cortes and Durand are first author Ehab

Atallah, M.D., and Hagop Kantarjian, M.D., chair of the Department of

Leukemia at M. D. .

Kantarjian and Cortes have received research funds from Novartis

Pharmaceuticals. M. D. was the lead institution in clinical trials

that proved the efficacy of imatinib for CML.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University

of Texas M. D. Cancer Center.

[Guest guest]

I must be in the 1.7% category as I have never had heart trouble but had

congestive heart failure after taking it for one week. I'm glad to see that it's

safe for the large majority of people.

Margaret

Zavie miller <zmiller@...> wrote:

Source: University of Texas <http://www.mdanderson.org/> M. D.

Cancer Center

Date: September 6, 2007

More on: Heart Disease

<http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/heart_disease/> , Stroke

Prevention <http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/stroke/> ,

Diseases and Conditions

<http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/diseases_and_conditions/>

, Leukemia <http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/leukemia/> ,

Today's Healthcare

<http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/today's_healthcare/> ,

Vioxx <http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/vioxx/>

Heart Failure Is Rare Among Leukemia Patients On Imatinib, Study Finds

Science Daily <http://www.sciencedaily.com/> - Congestive heart failure

rarely occurs among leukemia patients who take imatinib, researchers at The

University of Texas M. D. Cancer Center found after an exhaustive

review of the detailed medical histories of 1,276 patients who enrolled in

clinical trials for the drug.

Researchers found 22 patients, or 1.7 percent, had symptoms that could have

been caused by heart failure. Of those, 18 had previous medical conditions

that could also cause heart failure, such as type II diabetes, hypertension,

irregular heartbeat or coronary artery disease. Six had congestive heart

failure before entering treatment.

" Imatinib remains a safe drug, but monitoring patients and knowing their

medical histories are always important, " says Cortes, M.D., senior

author of the report and professor in M. D. 's Department of

Leukemia. " There is no current need for routine cardiac-specific monitoring

of all patients taking imatinib. However, those with significant cardiac

history need to be closely monitored. Patients who develop symptoms of heart

failure should be evaluated carefully and treated with standard therapy. "

Of the 22 patients found to have cardiovascular conditions, 11 were able to

continue on imatinib for their leukemia after dose adjustments and

management of the heart failure symptoms. The standard of care for treatment

includes the use of beta blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme

inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, notes study co-author

Jean-Bernard Durand, M.D., an assistant professor in M. D. 's

Department of Cardiology. Both classes of drugs are approved by the FDA for

treatment of heart failure and recommended by the Heart Failure Society of

America.

The team also found the incidence of congestive heart failure among patients

receiving imatinib to be comparable to the expected incidence in the general

population as reported by the Framingham Heart Study, a defining long-term

study of cardiovascular disease in the United States.

Imatinib, known by its brand name Gleevec and developed by Novartis

Pharmaceuticals, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for

the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), Philadelphia-chromosome

positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia d(ALL) and gastrointestinal stromal

tumor, a rare solid tumor cancer.

Imatinib is a targeted therapy that inhibits two members of a class of

enzymes called tyrosine kinases, which transmit growth and survival signals

in cells. The drug also blocks a hybrid tyrosine kinase known to cause CML

and Philadelphia-positive ALL.

Before the drug was developed, about only about half of CML patients

survived for five years after diagnosis. The five-year survival rate of

patients taking imatinib is 95 percent.

In a separate paper late last year, a research team led by scientists at the

University of Pennsylvania reported that imatinib may be cardiotoxic in

mammals. They found stress-induced damage to the mitochondria - the

powerhouse organs in cells - in cardiac muscle of mice given the drug. They

also implicated inhibition of Abl, one of the tyrosine kinases targeted by

imatinib, as the molecular mechanism that causes the damage.

Additionally, 10 patients at M. D. who developed congestive heart

failure after exposure to imatinib were described in the paper. The paper

did not assess the frequency of heart failure among patients taking imatinib

or the potential risk factors involved.

Durand, who was also a co-author on the earlier paper, says research

continues to address how tyrosine kinase inhibition might affect

cardiovascular risk. " We continue to work closely with oncologists to

identify early biochemical markers which may predict patients at risk and

implement medical therapy earlier to increase the success of tyrosine kinase

inhibitors in CML patients, " Durand says.

The results were reported in the Aug. 15 edition of the journal Blood.

Co-authors of the Blood paper with Cortes and Durand are first author Ehab

Atallah, M.D., and Hagop Kantarjian, M.D., chair of the Department of

Leukemia at M. D. .

Kantarjian and Cortes have received research funds from Novartis

Pharmaceuticals. M. D. was the lead institution in clinical trials

that proved the efficacy of imatinib for CML.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University

of Texas M. D. Cancer Center.