Imatinib plasma trough concentration and its correlation with characteristics and response in Chinese CML patients.

AbstractAim:To investigate the pharmacokinetics of imatinib in Chinese chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients.Methods:Fourty-six naïve Chinese CML patients treated with imatinib (400 and 600 mg daily, n=36 and 10, respectively) were recruited. The correlations of imatinib (400 mg) trough plasma concentrations (C_mins) with the patients' characteristics and responses were analyzed.Results:The overall mean (±SD, CV%) steady-state C_mins for imatinib at 400 mg (n=36) and 600 mg (n=10) daily was 1325.61 ng/mL (±583.53 ng/mL; 44%) and 1550.90 ng/mL (±462.63 ng/mL; 30%), respectively, and no statistically significant differences were found between them (P=0.267). At 400 mg daily, female patients had significantly higher C_mins than the male patients (P=0.048), and molecular responses were not correlated with imatinib C_mins, but they were correlated with time elapsed before imatinib therapy.Conclusion:The results suggest that Chinese CML patients have higher imatinib C_mins than their Caucasian counterparts and that the optimal initial imatinib dose for them requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]