Noxafil (posaconazole), an anti- fungal agent may be better than other anti-fungals in helping cancer patients that have GVHD. GVHD, graft-versus host disease, is a potential complication that can happen after a stem cell transplant. What is really happening is that the new stem cells given from a donor are now giving the patient a chance to build a [...]
Results of a study at St. Jude show why imatinib (Gleevec) is unable to prevent the relapse of an aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Imatinib has improved the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) dramatically. CML and an aggressive form of ALL share the same mutation, the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph). Ph-postiive cells produce a growth-promoting [...]
Sprycel is an oral agent that has recently been approved by the FDA. It works by stopping the production of proteins involved in cancer growth. The American Society of Hematology presented results that stated that treatment with Sprycel (dasatinib) provides better outcomes compared to giving higher doses of Gleevec (imatinib), in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), [...]