CMLSupport: University Of Minnesota Opens STI Trial

"Everywhere I go, I'm asked if I think the universities stifle writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them."
— Flannery O'Connor

University Of Minnesota Opens STI Trial

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, December 5, 2000 — Adults with recently diagnosed chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) may be eligible for a new phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate STI-571, a new type of drug called a signal transduction inhibitor. Individuals in the study will be treated with either STI-571 or a combination of interferon plus cytarabine, current standard therapy.

STI-571 is manufactured by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. The University of Minnesota Cancer Center is among several institutions nationwide that are enrolling patients in the trial. Signal transduction inhibitors interfere with the pathways that signal tumor cells to grow. STI-571 is targeted to the specific biochemical abnormality found predominantly in CML.

University researchers caution that both STI-571 and interferon plus cytarabine only slow the growth of leukemia cells; they do not eliminate them.

"The only curative therapy for this type of leukemia is a blood or marrow transplant from a closely matched sibling or donor," said principal investigator Bruce Peterson, M.D., professor of medicine and principal investigator. "The STI-571 clinical trial is only available to those patients and their physicians who have already investigated transplant options and ruled them out."

"University researchers caution that both STI-571 and interferon plus cytarabine only slow the growth of leukemia cells; they do not eliminate them."

The reality is that the majority of CML patients are ineligible for transplantation due to lack of a suitable donor or age. Donor transplant recipients over age 45 have a significantly increased risk of rejection than younger recipients. The majority of the 7,000 people diagnosed with CML each year are over 55.

Pediatric cancer researchers at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center are currently participating in an STI-571 trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. In this trial, STI-571 is used to treat patients whose leukemia has returned after initial treatment.

For information on enrollment, call 1-888-226-2376. More information on STI-571 (Leukemia Drug Heralds Molecularly Targeted Era) is available from the National Cancer Institute's Web site at cancertrials.nci.nih.gov/types/leuk/cml0400.html.

The University of Minnesota Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information on the study, or cancer in general, call 1-888-CANCER MN (1-888-226-2376).

Source: University of Minnesota

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