Hematologic Cancers

Long-term follow-up of the French 1 Stop Imatinib Study (STIM1) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has demonstrated that imatinib (Gleevec) can be safely discontinued in patients with a deep molecular response (ie, lasting at least 2 years). According to data presented at ASH 2015, molecular relapse was very rare after 6 months of stopping imatinib, and no relapse was reported after 2 years.

Self-Reports of 6-Mercaptopurine Intake in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Unreliable

By Phoebe Starr

Hematologic Cancers

Web Exclusives

Approximately 40% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) fail to take 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) as prescribed, and a sizable majority of parents and children with ALL overreport the intake of a critical drug for maintaining remission, according to a study reported by lead investigator Wendy Landier, PhD, RN, NP, Children’s of Alabama, Birmingham, and colleagues at ASH 2015. The study suggests that electronic reporting using TrackCap, a medication event monitoring system (MEMS), is more reliable than self-reports.