ASH Clinical News ACN_4.3_FULL-ISSUE-DIGITAL | Page 48

On Location ASH Annual Meeting Treating Chronic Myeloid Leukemia for the First Time in Cambodia Given the mortality and morbidity from infectious diseases and perinatal compli- cations in Cambodia, few resources are expended on pediatric cancer programs. Prom Vireak, MD, from Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) in Siem Reap, Cam- bodia, and colleagues reported the first case of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated at their center – an achievement made possible through several interna- tional collaborations, the researchers noted. The first-of-its-kind oncology program was established in 2013 with support from the American Society of Hematology and Health Volunteers Overseas (ASH-HVO) program. The patient, a 12-year-old girl, pre- sented at the AHC’s pediatric oncology program with headache, bone pain, and abdominal pain for one month. Periph- eral blood and bone marrow samples were collected, then sent for diagnos- tic testing at U.S. sites. Results from this analysis confirmed a diagnosis of chronic-phase CML. Imatinib – a tyrosine kinase inhibi- tor (TKI) – is not available at AHC, so the patient was treated at a hospital in Phnom Penh. After three months of treatment, her disease saw substantial clinical improvement, with mean- ingful reductions in spleen volume, Dr. Vireak and colleagues reported. “Through the global collaborative efforts led by AHC and ASH-HVO, CML is the first type of leukemia to be treated at AHC, and this has helped improve oncology care for children in Cambodia,” they wrote. “AHC now provides care and close monitoring to four patients with CML.”