Imatinib mesylate (Glivec) pre-treatment does not have a negative effect on outcome of allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Philadelphia-positive leukemias

Imatinib mesylate is extremely active in Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), but it’s effect on the outcome of a subsequent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is still a matter of debate. We report our experience in ten cases of Ph+ leukaemias (4 ALL and 6 CML) who underwent SCT after Imatinib therapy and compared to 39 historical controls (30 CML and 9 ALL) transplanted without Imatinib pre-treatment. No difference was seem in terms of engraftment, time to recovery, incidence of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and infections.