News Release

Gleevec therapy shows promise for Kaposi's sarcoma patients

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

CHICAGO – The cancer drug Gleevec has shown activity in the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma, a malignant tumor commonly associated with the HIV virus, according to findings presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

"The responses to the Gleevec therapy were rapid, some occurring in as little as two weeks," explains the study's lead investigator Henry Koon, MD, of the Cutaneous Oncology Group at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) works by specifically targeting cancer cells – in this case, the KS spindle cell – thereby eliminating many of the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy and other cancer therapies, which affect both malignant and healthy cells.

Characterized by raised lesions – dark purple, red or brown in color – Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is the most common of HIV-related cancers, affecting an estimated 20 percent of gay men infected with the HIV virus. KS often results in significant emotional distress and diminished quality of life as a result of the extreme disfigurement caused by the lesions. The malignancy causes or contributes to approximately 30 percent of all AIDS-related deaths.

This new study followed five men with KS, all of whom are HIV-positive and are receiving antiretroviral therapy. According to Koon, the subjects had as many as 50 KS lesions which had not responded to earlier treatment. After receiving twice-daily doses of Gleevec for a period of four weeks, the KS lesions diminished significantly. "One patient saw a 90 percent regression, others saw regressions of 73 percent and 58 percent while the remainder had stabilization of their disease, with more minor regressions of lesions," Koon notes.

Gleevec is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia as well as a type of stomach cancer. "Our new findings validate the concept that a targeted therapy, such as Gleevec, can be used in the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma," notes Koon. On the strength of these results, the investigators will begin a larger Phase II study of Gleevec treatment for KS in the near future.

Senior investigator for the study is Bruce Dezube, MD, Director of the AIDS Malignancy Research and Treatment Center at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Medicine at HMS. Gleevec is marketed in the U.S. by Novartis Oncology. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a major patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. The medical center is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox.

###


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.