COLUMBUS — An Ohio leukemia patient will be one of the first people nationwide to try out a pill that could help eliminate the disease if tests are successful.

        Benny White Sr., who is being treated in the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University, will take his first dose of the drug, MLN518, next week.

        Mr. White, 62, of suburban Groveport, has acute myeloid leukemia, which will be diagnosed in about 10,600 people nationwide this year. The rapidly progressing disease is the most fatal form of leukemia in adults. The overall five-year survival rate is 14 percent.

        The pill appears to be Mr. White's best option because a bone-marrow transplant is out of the question. None of Mr. White's five siblings is a match, and doctors told him a donation from a nonrelative is too risky at his age. He had hoped to receive a transplant of umbilical-cord blood, but his insurance company won't pay for it.

        The drug is the first option for leukemia patients that goes beyond traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation and transplantation, said Dr. Michael Caligiuri, associate director of clinical research for the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State.

        About 40 people at five sites will take two pills daily during the early stage trial, which will test the safety and effectiveness of the drug.

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