How long does it take Sprycel (dasatinib) to start working?
How long do you take Sprycel for?
In the DASISION Clinical trial (NCT00481247) 54% of patients using Sprycel (dasatinib) started to show a complete cytogenetic response by 3 months, when used as a first line treatment for chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia.
This was compared to 31% of imatinib (Gleevec) patients having a complete cytogenetic response in the same time.
A complete cytogenetic response is when there is no Ph-positive metaphases in the bone marrow sample.
Rates of Complete Cytogenetic Response over first 9 months:
| Months | Sprycel (dasatinib) | imatinib |
| 3 months | 54% | 31% |
| 6 months | 73% | 59% |
| 9 months | 78% | 67% |
A larger proportion of dasatinib patients reached complete cytogenetic response faster that imatinib patients.
How long do you take it for?
Sprycel is used as a long term treatment and in clinical trials has been taken for 5 years.
You usually keep on taking it as long as:
- your tests show it is working well
- your condition has not worsened
- you are not having severe side effects.
If any of these change, your health professional would discuss your options and whether you may need to discontinue treatment.
In DASISION clinical trial patients were on dasatinib or imatinib for 5 years, with the estimated 5-year overall survival being 91% for dasatinib and 90% for imatinib.
References
- Dasatinib versus Imatinib in Newly Diagnosed Chronic-Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1002315
- Final 5-Year Study Results of DASISION: The Dasatinib Versus Imatinib Study in Treatment-Naïve Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients Trial: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5118045/
- Sprycel Professional Medication Information: https://www.drugs.com/pro/sprycel.html
Read next
Gleevec vs Sprycel vs Tasigna - how do they compare?
Gleevec, Sprycel and Tasigna are all prescription medicines used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (blood cancer). Gleevec and Sprycel are also approved for other types of cancers and tumors. These drugs are all classified as BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors and block the enzyme BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, which is an important pathway in the development of leukemia. Continue reading
Is Sprycel a chemotherapy drug?
Sprycel (dasatinib) is an oral targeted anticancer therapy classified as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). It used to treat some types of blood cancer, such as Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL). Continue reading
What to avoid when taking Gleevec?
- Talk to your doctor about warnings, side effects, use in pregnancy and possible drug interactions with Gleevec.
- Take your Gleevec exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use Gleevec if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
- Take each tablet with a meal and large glass of water to help prevent stomach irritation.
- Do not use a broken Gleevec tablet. The medicine from a broken pill can be dangerous if it gets in your mouth, eyes, or nose, or on your skin.
- Do not use grapefruit products while taking Gleevec, unless okayed by your healthcare provider
- Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine may affect you. Use caution when driving as Gleevec may cause dizziness, drowsiness or blurred vision.
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