Comparing infection-related healthcare resource utilization and costs for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors

This study aimed to compare healthcare resource utilization and costs associated infections in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia patients receiving dasatinib and nilotinib.

This study concluded that dasatinib use is associated with higher healthcare resource utilization and health care costs compared to nilotinib due to infections.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is usually treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). TKIs work to block tyrosine kinase, a protein on cancer cells. This protein sends growth signals to cells. If it is blocked, the growth of cancer cells is prevented.

Treatment with TKIs in patients with CML may need to continue for years or possibly indefinitely. Dasatinib (Sprycel) and nilotinib (Tasigna) are both TKIs. They have been proven to prolong survival but can increase the risk of infections. It is important to determine if patients with CML treated with dasatinib or nilotinib would have higher healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and healthcare costs due to infections.

This study involved 1833 patients with newly diagnosed CML who were treated with dasatinib or nilotinib as first or second line therapy. Patients were split into groups based on their line of treatment. The 1L group was receiving a TKI as the first line of treatment. The 1L group consisted of 1156 patients who received dasatinib and 677 who received nilotinib. The 2L group was receiving a TKI as the second line of treatment. It consisted of 322 patients who received dasatinib and 207 who received nilotinib. Infection-related HRU and health care costs were compared between the groups.

In both groups, the infection-related HRU was higher for those who received dasatinib compared to those who received nilotinib. The patients who received dasatinib had 2-times more infection-related inpatient days (hospital days) than those who received nilotinib.

In both groups, the patients who received dasatinib had higher total costs per patient when compared to those who received nilotinib. In both groups, the patients who received dasatinib had higher infection-related costs than those who received nilotinib.

This study concluded that dasatinib is associated with higher HRU and healthcare costs compared to nilotinib due to infections in patients with CML.

Further studies with larger more varied groups of patients should be carried out. This study received funding support from Novartis, the manufacturer of nilotinib.

Consult your physician if you have any concerns about the use of TKIs and infections.