Feasibility of early prediction of response to cytarabine in Acute
Myeloid Leukaemia patients to improve quality and duration
of patient
outcome (PRIMAL Study)
Chief Investigator
Dr Priyanka Mehta
Institution
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Dates
Feb-2016 to Jun-2017
Funding Stream
Above and Beyond Autumn 2014
Amount
£13,666.45
Summary
Acute leukaemia affects >2,000 people in the UK annually.
Despite advances in the treatment of childhood leukaemia, adult
leukaemia still represents a considerable clinical challenge. The
average age of leukaemia in adults is 65 years with those >70
years classified as elderly. Once diagnosed the decision to treat
is rapid, as life expectancy for the patient is a few months
without treatment. For the majority of elderly patients, intensive
chemotherapy is not an option due to the physical fitness required,
and the significant side-effects of the treatment. These include
increased susceptibility to infection and bleeding disorders that
are responsible for lengthy and costly hospitalisation of patients,
and ultimately detrimental to their clinical response. Increasingly
clinicians are opting to give elderly patients low-dose
chemotherapy, controlling their disease whilst minimising
side-effects. This decision is currently made using factors such as
patient age and tumour burden. We have developed an assay capable
of identifying patients with exquisite sensitivity to chemotherapy
prior to treatment. This information could assist the clinician in
the decision to treat an elderly patient with chemotherapy. This
assay can also monitor levels of the chemotherapy inside the
patient's tumour cells over the first three days of treatment.
Assessment of tumour burden over this short time-period has been
shown to predict patient response to the first course of treatment.
Coupled to the response of the tumour cells to the treatment using
our assay, this could provide greater information to clinician and
patient during the crucial few days after diagnosis.
