This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Leukaemia trial a success
New research conducted at Newcastle Freeman Hospital and led by the University of Liverpool could see patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), a rare blood cancer, live longer without the side-effects of drugs.
The current treatment for CML patients often involves taking tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) indefinitely. While TKIs are successful in controlling disease, it also caused side-effects, including an increased risk of infection, skin rashes, nausea, hair loss and in some cases hormone disorder and a build of fluid around the heart.
However, the new trial at the hospital showed 93 per cent of those in a new study stayed cancer-free after stopping or reducing treatment. Patients were given half the standard dose for the first 12 months and if leukaemia levels remained low, the drug was then stopped completely.
Out of the 174 patients tested, 93 per cent have shown no evidence of their leukaemia relapsing.
Dr Wendy Osborne, who is leading the Destiny study in Newcastle, said: “We've gone from having patients with a potentially incurable disease and requiring toxic chemotherapy and transplantation, to now selecting some patients, again in a clinical trial setting, to stop the drug completely to remove any side-effects they have.
"This in itself is moving towards saying we've cured some patients and this is all because of research."
Dr Áine McCarthy, senior science communications officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "The promising results of this trial show that some patients with CML can safely stop their treatment and their cancer does not come back.
"But it's extremely important to remember that these patients were involved in a clinical trial meaning they stopped treatment under controlled, supervised conditions.
"All patients who took part were selected because their disease was at low risk of coming back, and they had been having treatment for at least three years. If you or someone you know is being treated for CML, it's important they make no changes to their treatment unless advised to by their doctor."
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