Interferon-α Based Individualized Treatment of a High Risk Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Patient Harboring T315I Mutation.

BACKGROUND: T315I mutation is the most common BCR-ABL mutation and confers resistance to all the first and second generation BCR-ABL tyrosine kinases, including nilotinib and dasatinib. We report a high risk chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patient harboring the T315I mutation treated by Interferon-α (INF-α) solo and subsequently combined with dasatinib.

METHODS: Hematological investigation, bone marrow cytology inspection, chromosomal analysis (G-banding), and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) were performed on a 47-year-old male patient.

RESULTS: After 8 months IFN-α monotherapy, the patient lost the T315I mutation but acquired a new F359V mutation. After 2 months on dasatinib and INF-α treatment, the patient achieved complete hematologic response (CHR).

CONCLUSIONS: IFN-α based combination therapy could be a viable treatment option for CML patients harboring T315I BCR-ABL mutation.