Compassionate use of sorafenib in FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukemia: sustained regression before and after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Blood. 2009 Jun 25;113(26):6567-71. doi: 10.1182/blood-2009-03-208298. Epub 2009 Apr 23.

Abstract

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations in the Fms-like tyrosine-3 (FLT3) gene have a dismal prognosis. Here we report compassionate-use results with the multikinase and FLT3-ITD inhibitor sorafenib for the treatment of relapsed or refractory FLT3-ITD-positive AML. Sorafenib induced clinically meaningful and very rapid responses in all 6 patients treated either before (n = 2), after (n = 3), or both before and after (n = 1) allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Sorafenib-induced remissions facilitated allo-SCT in 2 of the 3 refractory patients. Two of the 4 patients who were treated after allo-SCT survived 216 and 221 days, respectively, whereas the other 2 remain in ongoing complete molecular remission. Sorafenib response was associated with an inhibition of the antiapoptotic FLT3-ITD target Stat-5 in vivo. Together, sorafenib monotherapy before or after allo-SCT has remarkable clinical activity in poor risk FLT3-ITD-positive AML and deserves further evaluation in prospective clinical trials.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Adult
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Benzenesulfonates / therapeutic use*
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Drug Evaluation
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Female
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Myeloid / drug therapy*
  • Leukemia, Myeloid / surgery
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Neoplasm Proteins / genetics
  • Niacinamide / analogs & derivatives
  • Phenylurea Compounds
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Pyridines / therapeutic use*
  • Remission Induction
  • Sorafenib
  • Tandem Repeat Sequences
  • Transplantation, Homologous
  • Treatment Outcome
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 / genetics

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Benzenesulfonates
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Phenylurea Compounds
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Pyridines
  • Niacinamide
  • Sorafenib
  • FLT3 protein, human
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3