Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a neoplastic transformation of the hematopoietic system resulting from a t(9;22)(q34;q11) translocation forming a BCR-ABL hybrid gene which has intense enzyme tyrosine kinase activity responsible for the proliferation of tumor cells. A dramatic positive response was achieved in CML patients with imatinib. This drug is effective in most patients because it presents long-lasting responses. However, some patients are resistant or develop resistance during treatment, particularly in the late-stage disease, thus second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as dasatinib and nilotinib were developed to reduce the risk of developing resistance. Bosutinib and INNO-406 are being developed to treat resistant patients and also to reduce the side effects of the aforementioned drugs. Additionally, novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors are in clinical or preclinical development stages. In the future, multiple treatment options will be available for patients with CML, with the possibility to individualize the treatment according to the needs of each patient. In the current study we describe antineoplastic drugs that act as tyrosine kinase enzyme inhibitors in CML.
Tyrosine kinase; chronic myeloid leukemia; therapy