Imatinib mesylate can induce complete molecular remission in FIP1L1-PDGFR-a positive idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome.

236 the 5’-flanking region of the IL-6 and IL-8 genes do not act independently of one another but as part of an extended promoter haplotype. In summary, our data demonstrate that the assessment of IL-6 and IL-8 levels in febrile neutropenic children is of limited diagnostic value and is not improved by genotyping for promoter polymorphisms. Thomas Lehrnbecher,* Gudrun Fleischhack,° Mitra Hanisch,* Frank Deinlein, Arne Simon,° Toralf Bernig, Stephen J. Chanock, Thomas Klingebiel* Departments of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University of Frankfurt,* Bonn,° Würzburg; Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA Funding: this study was supported by the Wilhelm Sander-Stiftung. Acknowledgments: we thank the medical and nursing staff of the Departments of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Universities of Bonn, Frankfurt and Würzburg, Germany.