In a nutshell
This study aimed to evaluate glucose (blood sugar) and lipid (fat) metabolism between dasatinib, nilotinib, and imatinib in patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia.
This study concluded that dasatinib and nilotinib had a negative impact on glucose and lipid metabolism when compared to imatinib.
Some background
Dasatinib (Sprycel) is a targeted therapy used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). It is known as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Other TKIs include nilotinib (Tasigna) and imatinib (Gleevec). TKIs are very effective in the treatment of CML. However, some patients stop treatment due to side effects.
Glucose-lipid metabolism is a range of biochemical processes in the body. It consists of the build-up and break-down of blood sugar and fats. The effects of TKIs on glucose-lipid metabolism are not well known.
Methods & findings
This study involved 370 patients with CML who received TKI treatment. Patients received either dasatinib (43 patients), nilotinib (102 patients) or imatinib (225 patients). The glucose-lipid metabolism was measured. Blood glucose and several types of fats in the blood such as triglycerides (TG), cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad cholesterol") were measured. Patients were followed up for an average of 21-48 months.
The average fasting glucose, TG, cholesterol, and LDL levels increased in both dasatinib and nilotinib groups compared to the imatinib group. Dasatinib treatment was significantly associated with both poor hyperglycemia (high glucose) and hypertriglyceridemia-free (high TG) survival.
Nilotinib treatment was significantly associated with more occurrences of hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia. Increasing age was significantly associated with more occurrences of hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia.
The bottom line
This study concluded that dasatinib and nilotinib have a negative effect on glucose-lipid metabolism when compared to imatinib in patients with CML.
The fine print
The groups of nilotinib and dasatinib-treated patients were smaller compared to the imatinib group. They were also followed up for a shorter period of time then the imatinib group. Further larger studies are needed.
What’s next?
Consult your physician if you have concerns about glucose-lipid metabolism.
Published By :
Scientific reports
Date :
Nov 26, 2019
