In a nutshell
This study looked at the use of molecular monitoring to assess outcomes in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Researchers found that molecular monitoring at 3 and 12 months is beneficial to these patients.
Some background
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a cancer of the bone marrow. This leads to an abnormal immune system and abnormal immune cells. It is also often linked with abnormal genes. Molecular monitoring involves measuring the levels of abnormal genes during treatment. This is important to assess response to treatment. It is not yet known if early monitoring may benefit patients with CML.
Methods & findings
496 patients with CML were included in the study. Molecular monitoring was carried out at 3 months, 12 months, and 18 months after treatment started.
392 patients had a major molecular response (an almost undetectable level of abnormal CML genes in the blood). Of these, 67.9% occurred before 18 months. Early monitoring at 3 months and 12 months were linked with a higher response to treatment compared to 18 months monitoring only.
The bottom line
The study concluded that early molecular monitoring improved response to treatment in patients with CML.
The fine print
A small sample size of old data was analyzed. Original research may help to confirm results.
Published By :
Cancer
Date :
Nov 13, 2018
