Imatinib Mesylate (Gleevec) in the Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis

Study Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) in patients with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Gleevec is a medication already FDA approved for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans tumors, Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, hypereosinophilic syndrome, and aggressive systemic mastocytosis. In-vitro studies have suggested that imatinib may inhibit collagen production by scleroderma fibroblasts, and in mouse models of fibrosis imatinib has been shown to decrease skin thickness. This is a Phase IIa, single center, prospective open label clinical trial of Gleevec in patients with systemic sclerosis. All patients will be treated with active drug for 12 months. The primary objective of this study will be to determine the safety and tolerability of Gleevec in patients with systemic sclerosis, but important secondary outcomes of relevance will be improvement in disease status as defined by skin scores and indices of pulmonary function. Patients who complete the initial phase (described above) of the study will be eligible to participate in an extension phase. The purpose of the extension phase of the study is to give patients who participated in the phase IIa clinical trial of Gleevec at the Hospital for Special Surgery the opportunity to continue Gleevec treatment if both the treating physicians and the patient are in agreement that Gleevec had acceptable safety and tolerability, as well as possible efficacy during the initial year of therapy.

Interventions

• DRUG Imatinib Mesylate