Sprycel

Sprycel is a cancer medicine. It is used to treat adults with the following types of leukaemia (cancer of the white blood cells): - chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in the ‘chronic’ phase in newly diagnosed patients who are ‘Philadelphia chromosome positive’ (Ph+). In CML, granulocytes (a type of white blood cell) start growing out of control. Ph+ means that some of the patient’s genes have rearranged themselves to form a special chromosome called the Philadelphia chromosome which produces an enzyme, Bcr-Abl kinase that leads to the development of leukaemia. - CML in ‘chronic’, ‘accelerated’ and ‘blast’ phases. Sprycel is used when other treatments including imatinib (another cancer medicine) do not work or cause troublesome side effects; - Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), where lymphocytes (another type of white blood cell) multiply too quickly, or in ‘lymphoid blast’ CML. Sprycel is used when other treatments do not work or cause troublesome side effects. Sprycel is also used in children to treat: - newly diagnosed Ph+ CML in the ‘chronic’ phase, or Ph+ CML when other treatments including imatinib cannot be given or have not worked; - newly diagnosed Ph+ ALL in combination with chemotherapy (cancer medicines). Sprycel contains the active substance dasatinib.