In a nutshell
This study looked at the risk of kidney damage in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Researchers found that imatinib (Gleevec) was linked with greater damage to the kidney compared to nilotinib (Tasigna) or dasatinib (Sprycel) in these patients.
Some background
TKI therapy is a treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia. Imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib are TKI drugs. They work by targeting certain proteins on cancer cells. This may also lead to some damage to normal healthy cells. TKI drugs are removed from the body by the kidney. It is important to research the effects of these drugs on the kidney.
Methods & findings
595 patients with CML treated with TKIs were included in this study. Data on patients kidney function and treatments were studied.
In first-line treatment after 3 years, survival rates without kidney side effects were lower in the imatinib (55%) group than the nilotinib group (77%). Other factors linked with low survival rates without kidney problems included male sex and older age.
In second- and third-line treatment, there was no difference in kidney side effects survival found between nilotinib and dasatinib.
The bottom line
The study concluded that imatinib was strongly linked with kidney side effects in the treatment of CML.
The fine print
This study looked at old data. Newer research may be needed to confirm these results.
Published By :
Annals of Hematology
Date :
May 14, 2019
