Inpharma 1283 - 14 Apr 2001

■ STI-571* was active in a woman with a rapidlyprogressing gastrointestinal stromal tumour that wasmetastatic and chemotherapy-resistant, reports amultinational group of researchers. After startingtreatment with oral STI-571 [‘Glivec’] 400mg oncedaily, tumour size progressively decreased from112.5cm2 at baseline to 28cm2 at 8 months; aresponse was seen as early as 2 weeks after startingSTI-571.** No new lesions were seen and 6/28 livermetastases disappeared. The patient has continued torespond after > 11 months’ therapy and has remainedclinically well. These results ‘indicate that inhibition bySTI571 of the constitutively active mutant c-kit tyrosinekinase of gastrointestinal stromal tumors is an effectivetherapy for these tumors’, say the researchers.* Novartis; preregistration in chronic myeloid leukaemia, phase I insolid tumours** Tumour size was measured as the sum of the products of 2perpendicular axes of each of 8 large liver metastases.

Joensuu H, et al. Effect of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 in a patientwith a metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor. New England Journal ofMedicine 344: 1052-1056, 5 Apr 2001 800861013

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Inpharma 14 Apr 2001 No. 12831173-8324/10/1283-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved