Dr Navdeep Singh who is presently working as a senior medical oncologist at Grecian Heart and Cancer Hospital had published the report after two years of thorough research on the suitability of the drug, Imatinib Mesylate, for treatment of the disease.

The study was conducted between 2005 and 2007 and the report has been accepted by the EJCP in February this year. Dr Navdeep says CML is one of the common forms of blood cancer and is mostly prevalent in men. “Though it can also be found in women, it is more common in men,” he said.

The results of the research showed how drug Imatinib Mesylate, which is used in the first line of the treatment, elicited different responses from patients with different blood levels. “There are over 30 different types of blood cancer and CML is a common type. The research compiled blood samples from 40 patients, 20 with blood levels more than one micro mole and 20 with a blood level less than that. It was concluded that only patients with blood levels more than one micro mole responded to the drug while those with blood levels less than one micro mole did not,” said Dr Navdeep while giving details of the research.