Imatinib mesylate: An attractive alternative in young children with large, surgically challenging dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans

• Published in: Pediatric blood & cancer Vol. 44; no. 5; pp. 511 - 515
• Main Authors: Price, Victoria E., Fletcher, Jonathan A., Zielenska, Maria, Cole, William, Viero, Sandra, Manson, David E., Stuart, Mary, Pappo, Alberto S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.05.2005; Wiley
• Subjects: Benzamides; Biological and medical sciences; childhood; dermatofibrosarcoma; Dermatofibrosarcoma - drug therapy; Dermatofibrosarcoma - pathology; Female; Gene Rearrangement; General aspects; Humans; imatinib; Imatinib Mesylate; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Infant; Leg - pathology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical sciences; mesylate; Piperazines - therapeutic use; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis - genetics; protuberans; Pyrimidines - therapeutic use; Tumor Burden - drug effects; Tumors; Human; Antineoplastic agent; Pediatrics; Skin disease; Imatinib; Sarcoma; childhood; Enzyme; Transferases; Enzyme inhibitor; mesylate; protuberans; Malignant tumor; dermatofibrosarcoma; Cancerology; Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans; Child; Protein-tyrosine kinase
• ISSN: 1545-5009; 1545-5017
• DOI: 10.1002/pbc.20249

To document the clinical activity of imatinib mesyalte in a child with a dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP). An 18‐month‐old girl presented with a large extremity DFSP. As surgical resection would have caused unacceptable functional defects, imatinib mesylate was administered to induce tumor reduction and or stabilization. After 23 weeks of therapy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the tumor showed a reduction in the subcutaneous thickness in the transverse plane. The drug was tolerated well without any adverse reactions. Imatinib mesylate offers a non‐surgical alternative for the treatment of large DFSP in children. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.