REVERSAL OF ACCELERATED PHASE CML WITH HIGH BLAST COUNT FOLLOWING 5+2 CHEMOTHERAPY AND DASATINIB: A CASE REPORT

Introduction: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) typically progresses through chronic, accelerated, and blast phases, with most patients responding well to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) in the chronic phase. However, patients with Accelerated-Phase (AP) CML who develop high blast counts and TKI resi...

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Main Authors: Büşra Akdoğan, Ali Turunç, Birol Güvenç
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Hematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2531137925001804
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author Büşra Akdoğan
Ali Turunç
Birol Güvenç
author_facet Büşra Akdoğan
Ali Turunç
Birol Güvenç
author_sort Büşra Akdoğan
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) typically progresses through chronic, accelerated, and blast phases, with most patients responding well to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) in the chronic phase. However, patients with Accelerated-Phase (AP) CML who develop high blast counts and TKI resistance are often considered at risk for transformation into Blast-Phase (BP) CML or secondary AML, requiring intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation. This case highlights a patient with AP-CML who achieved full hematologic and molecular remission after receiving 5+2 chemotherapy and dasatinib, despite a high blast count and a prolonged TKI-free period before treatment initiation. Case presentation: A 44-year-old male was diagnosed with CML (February 2022) and initially treated with imatinib, followed by dasatinib, bosutinib, and nilotinib due to persistent BCR-ABL positivity and extreme thrombocytosis (> 1 million/µL). By October 2024, disease transformation was suspected due to BCR-ABL levels rising to 85% and bone marrow biopsy showing 17% blasts. Notably, the patient had discontinued dasatinib at least three months before hospitalization, further contributing to disease progression. Given the high blast count and persistent thrombocytosis, 5+2 induction chemotherapy (cytarabine + idarubicin) was administered, followed by a reassessment bone marrow biopsy in December 2024, which was inconclusive. Post-chemotherapy, the patient refused further AML-directed treatment and instead resumed dasatinib therapy. Over the following six months, the patient’s hematologic parameters normalized, and repeat bone marrow biopsy confirmed complete remission, demonstrating a remarkable reversal from the accelerated phase. Conclusion: This case illustrates the potential for AP-CML with a high blast count to revert to the chronic phase following 5+2 chemotherapy and re-initiation of TKI therapy. It also underscores the risks associated with TKI discontinuation in advanced CML and suggests that targeted therapy with TKIs can remain effective even after transient chemotherapy-induced cytoreduction. This highlights the importance of individualized treatment approaches in advanced CML and the potential for avoiding AML-directed therapies in select cases.
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spelling doaj-art-04fc9e5761e44e93be6a5dcbec83c9d72025-07-05T04:47:32ZengElsevierHematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy2531-13792025-07-0147103912REVERSAL OF ACCELERATED PHASE CML WITH HIGH BLAST COUNT FOLLOWING 5+2 CHEMOTHERAPY AND DASATINIB: A CASE REPORTBüşra Akdoğan0Ali Turunç1Birol Güvenç2Department of Internal Medicine, Cukurova University Medical Faculty Hospital, Adana, TurkeyDepartment of Internal Medicine, Cukurova University Medical Faculty Hospital, Division of Hematology, Adana, TurkeyDepartment of Internal Medicine, Cukurova University Medical Faculty Hospital, Division of Hematology, Adana, TurkeyIntroduction: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) typically progresses through chronic, accelerated, and blast phases, with most patients responding well to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) in the chronic phase. However, patients with Accelerated-Phase (AP) CML who develop high blast counts and TKI resistance are often considered at risk for transformation into Blast-Phase (BP) CML or secondary AML, requiring intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation. This case highlights a patient with AP-CML who achieved full hematologic and molecular remission after receiving 5+2 chemotherapy and dasatinib, despite a high blast count and a prolonged TKI-free period before treatment initiation. Case presentation: A 44-year-old male was diagnosed with CML (February 2022) and initially treated with imatinib, followed by dasatinib, bosutinib, and nilotinib due to persistent BCR-ABL positivity and extreme thrombocytosis (> 1 million/µL). By October 2024, disease transformation was suspected due to BCR-ABL levels rising to 85% and bone marrow biopsy showing 17% blasts. Notably, the patient had discontinued dasatinib at least three months before hospitalization, further contributing to disease progression. Given the high blast count and persistent thrombocytosis, 5+2 induction chemotherapy (cytarabine + idarubicin) was administered, followed by a reassessment bone marrow biopsy in December 2024, which was inconclusive. Post-chemotherapy, the patient refused further AML-directed treatment and instead resumed dasatinib therapy. Over the following six months, the patient’s hematologic parameters normalized, and repeat bone marrow biopsy confirmed complete remission, demonstrating a remarkable reversal from the accelerated phase. Conclusion: This case illustrates the potential for AP-CML with a high blast count to revert to the chronic phase following 5+2 chemotherapy and re-initiation of TKI therapy. It also underscores the risks associated with TKI discontinuation in advanced CML and suggests that targeted therapy with TKIs can remain effective even after transient chemotherapy-induced cytoreduction. This highlights the importance of individualized treatment approaches in advanced CML and the potential for avoiding AML-directed therapies in select cases.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S25311379250018045+2 ChemotherapyAccelerated PhaseChronic Myeloid LeukemiaDisease ReversionTyrosine Kinase Inhibitor
spellingShingle Büşra Akdoğan
Ali Turunç
Birol Güvenç
REVERSAL OF ACCELERATED PHASE CML WITH HIGH BLAST COUNT FOLLOWING 5+2 CHEMOTHERAPY AND DASATINIB: A CASE REPORT
Hematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy
5+2 Chemotherapy
Accelerated Phase
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Disease Reversion
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor
title REVERSAL OF ACCELERATED PHASE CML WITH HIGH BLAST COUNT FOLLOWING 5+2 CHEMOTHERAPY AND DASATINIB: A CASE REPORT
title_full REVERSAL OF ACCELERATED PHASE CML WITH HIGH BLAST COUNT FOLLOWING 5+2 CHEMOTHERAPY AND DASATINIB: A CASE REPORT
title_fullStr REVERSAL OF ACCELERATED PHASE CML WITH HIGH BLAST COUNT FOLLOWING 5+2 CHEMOTHERAPY AND DASATINIB: A CASE REPORT
title_full_unstemmed REVERSAL OF ACCELERATED PHASE CML WITH HIGH BLAST COUNT FOLLOWING 5+2 CHEMOTHERAPY AND DASATINIB: A CASE REPORT
title_short REVERSAL OF ACCELERATED PHASE CML WITH HIGH BLAST COUNT FOLLOWING 5+2 CHEMOTHERAPY AND DASATINIB: A CASE REPORT
title_sort reversal of accelerated phase cml with high blast count following 5 2 chemotherapy and dasatinib a case report
topic 5+2 Chemotherapy
Accelerated Phase
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Disease Reversion
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2531137925001804
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AT birolguvenc reversalofacceleratedphasecmlwithhighblastcountfollowing52chemotherapyanddasatinibacasereport