Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0023473 (chronic myeloid leukemia)
 18,916 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Several new cytostatic drugs have entered clinical Phase I-II studies for treatment of leukemia: most promising are pyrimidine analogues such as 5-Azacytosine arabinoside, 5-Aza-2-deoxycytidine, 5-Azacytidine, cyclocytidine, and 2'-2'-difluorodeoxycytidine. They act on different biochemical levels towards DNA-synthesis. Fludarabine is a purin analogue and seems very active in treating CLL. Tiazofurin is an antimetabolite counter-acting nicotinic acid with most promising activity in CML blast crisis. Other substances include deoxycoformycin, an adenosine analogue for treatment of T-cell neoplasias, 1, 25-dihydroxy vitamin D 3 as differentiation inducer, and homoharringtonine, an alkylating agent widely used for treating de novo AML in China. New anthracyclines are THP-adriamycin, fluoroadriamycin, and 4-demethoxydaunorubicin. Amsacrine (mAMSA) finally, is a synthetic aminoacridine with DNA-intercalating properties. The intact acridine ring appears essential for antitumor activity. The plasma clearance of both total amsacrine and unchanged parent species is biphasic. There is a considerable influence of hepatic and renal impairment on plasma clearance. Clinical toxicities include marked myelosuppression, gastrointestinal symptomes, phlebitis, mucocutaneous lesions, occasionally alopecia and neurotoxities. It is a very active drug, particularly in treating AML. Studies using mAMSA alone or in combination revealed comparable results to the anthracyclines. The E.O.R.T.C. Leukemia Cooperative Group has used successfully mAMSA in several trials: relapsed and refractory AML, intensive maintenance treatment during first remission in AML, and, still on-going, during intensive consolidation randomized against BMT in AML-patients under the age of 45 years, and randomized against standard consolidation between the age of 45 and 60 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:New drugs in the treatment of acute and chronic leukaemia: current role of mAMSA. 269 2

11 patients (aged 23--75 years) with refractory acute leukemia were treated at the Maine Medical Center with 5-Azacytidine, 150 mg/m2/day, by continuous infusion for 5 days every 2 weeks. Prior therapy included anthracycline/cytosine arabinoside protocols. Of the 8 patients with refractory de novo acute myelogenous leukemia, 6 achieved remission at an overall response rate of 75% (3 complete remission and 3 partial remission). An average of 1.67 courses was necessary to achieve a response. Remissions were not seen in blastic chronic myelogenous leukemia nor in acute leukemia secondary to cytotoxic drugs. Toxicity included myelosuppression, moderate nausea and vomiting, abnormal liver function tests, and neuromuscular symptoms. 5-Azacytidine by continuous infusion has significant activity in refractory acute myelogenous leukemia and should be considered for inclusion in primary remission induction therapy.
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PMID:5-azacytidine in refractory acute leukemia. 617 65

Epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation and histone deacetylation are known to contribute to the malignant transformation of cells by silencing critical genes. Drugs that inhibit DNA methyltransferases or histone deacetylases were shown to have the potential to reactivate silenced genes and induce differentiation or apoptosis of malignant cells. The most intensively studied class of such agents is DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, including 5-azacytidine (azacitidine) and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine). In 2004, azacitidine was approved for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome on the basis of phase II and III studies that showed a response rate (complete and partial responses) of 15%. Azacitidine is also being evaluated in clinical trials for other malignant diseases. Decitabine has response rates of 17-49% in myelodysplastic syndrome in multiple phase II and III studies and also activity in acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia. Histone deacetylase inhibitors belong to another class of epigenetic modifying agents that include depsipeptide, butyrate derivatives, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid and valproic acid. No agent in this class has been studied in a phase III trial, but several agents have been or are being studied in phase II trials. Further research is needed to determine the appropriate patient selection and dosing schedules.
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PMID:Review: recent clinical trials in epigenetic therapy. 1847 69