Long-term effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia

This study aimed to investigate the long-term safety and effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia.

This study concluded that the outcomes for these patients are satisfactory and reliable.

Patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) generally have mild symptoms and respond to standard treatment. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) work by blocking the growth of cancer cells. Imatinib (gleevec), nilotinib (tasigna) and dasatinib (sprycel) are all TKIs. It is thought that this treatment could be used for CP-CML patients. 

It is not known if TKIs are safe and effective in treating CP-CML on the long-term.

This study involved 506 patients with CP-CML. 27.9% of patients received imatinib as a first-line therapy. 33.9% received nilotinib and 28.9% received dasatinib. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were measured. PFS is the length of time during and after treatment that a patient lives with the disease, but it does not get worse.

The 5-year PFS was 93.8%. The 5-year OS was 94.5%. By 12 months, 77.9% of patients had no cancer cells in their bone marrow. 55.3% had no abnormal leukemia genes in their blood.

The most common side effects reported were anemia (19%), white blood cell count (11%) and low platelets (18%; blood cells involved in clotting). No new safety issues were observed in patients with side effects.

This study concluded that TKIs lead to satisfactory and reliable outcomes for newly diagnosed patients with CP-CML.