Protocol Number: 02-I-0286
Patients with HES who are 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, physical examination, blood tests, electrocardiogram (EKG), echocardiogram (ultrasound examination of the heart), pulmonary (lung) function tests, and a bone marrow examination to determine if they fall into the subgroup of patients likely to respond to this therapy. For the bone marrow procedure, an area of skin and bone is numbed and a very sharp needle is inserted into the bone to draw out a sample of bone marrow for evaluation under the microscope. Patients enrolled in the study will take imatinib mesylate daily. Any other drugs they may be taking for HES, as well as other drugs they are taking that may interact with imatinib mesylate, will be tapered and stopped. If it is not possible to stop taking certain drugs for other conditions, their dosages may be adjusted. Patients will be monitored weekly with laboratory testing during the first month of treatment and whenever neutrophil counts drop below 1500/mm3 or platelets fall below 100,000/mm3. If blood counts remain high enough, monitoring will be reduced to every 2 weeks for 3 months and once a month after that. Patients will have a clinic visit at NIH 1 month after beginning the drug for a clinical and laboratory evaluation, including a bone marrow examination. Patients whose eosinophil counts are not lowered after 4 weeks of treatment will leave the study. Those who respond to therapy will return to NIH every 3 months for a history and physical examination, laboratory tests, EKG, echocardiogram, and pulmonary function testing to determine how treatment is affecting disease progression. In addition, the following procedures will be done solely for research purposes: - Blood tests to determine the effects of imatinib mesylate on immune cells, including eosinophils. - Leukapheresis to study the effects of imatinib mesylate on eosinophils: For this procedure, whole blood is collected through a needle in an arm vein, similar to donating blood. The blood circulates through a machine that separates it into its components, and the white cells are removed. The rest of the blood is returned to the body, either through the same needle or through another needle in the other arm. - Bone marrow examinations will be done during the screening tests and again 1 month after starting treatment to look at newly developing cells in the bone marrow. - Genetic testing to determine how imatinib mesylate is able to lower eosinophil counts in patients with HES.
Search The Studies | Help | Questions |
Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center (CC) |
||