Japanese Researchers Design Test to Find Imatinib-Resistance

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Some interesting news from Japan, as reported by Reuters

Pat in Phoenix

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Test designed to screen resistance to cancer drug

Thu Jul 29, 12:17 am ET

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Researchers in Japan have designed a test to identify

patients who are likely to be resistant to imatinib, the standard drug for

treating leukemia or cancer of the blood cells.

Such a test is important as imatinib resistance occurs usually to relapse

patients, who tend to deteriorate very rapidly if they are given the wrong

treatment.

In a paper published in Clinical Cancer Research on Thursday, the scientists

said they developed a test which will help doctors tell if a patient with

chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is resistant to imatinib.

Imatinib, known by the brand Gleevac, is sold by Novartis AG to treat CML and

other cancers. It blocks the enzymes of cancer cells instead of killing all

rapidly multiplying cells.

" Most patients are sensitive to imatinib when they are diagnosed with CML, but

resistance can indeed be acquired during or after imatinib treatment, " said

Yusuke Ohba, an associate professor at Hokkaido University Graduate School of

Medicine.

" Even in cases where resistance develops or becomes apparent gradually, the most

critical issue is what to switch over to. If the patient is switched to another

(treatment) to which he/she is also resistant, the treatment will just be a

waste of time and detrimental to the patient's condition. "

" With our test, we can identify the most suitable drug, dose and/or drug

combination, enabling therapy to be tailor-made for each individual patient. I

believe this approach will make CML care more accurate and effective, " he said

in an email reply to questions from Reuters.

New drugs being developed for treating CML claim to overcome imatinib

resistance, but until now, it is difficult to tell who has that resistance.

Using this test developed by Ohba and his colleagues, blood samples are

collected from patients and then cultured and tested to see if they are

resistant to imatinib.

These tests should help doctors determine if the patient may require stronger

doses, combination therapy, or other drugs, Ohba said.

(Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Sugita Katyal)