In a nutshell
This study aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of imatinib treatment in patients with CML.
This study concluded that imatinib is safe and effective for long periods of use.
Some background
Imatinib (Gleevec) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) approved for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). TKIs are targeted therapies. Imatinib has changed the outcomes of patients with CML.
However, the long-term outcomes of imatinib treatment in patients with CML in a real-life setting remain under investigation.
Methods & findings
This study involved 459 patients with CML in chronic phase who received imatinib treatment. Patients were followed for an average of 10.2 years.
The 10-year overall survival (OS) rate was 77.1%. The 10-year probability of dying due to CML was 7.8%. The 10-year probability of dying due to other causes was 16%.
51.4% of patients achieved a deep molecular response (a sign of disease remission – DMR) during imatinib treatment after an average time of 4.57 years. 20.6% of patients had a stable DMR maintained for at least 2 consecutive years.
Imatinib was associated with a low rate of serious cardiovascular (heart-related; 3.7%) events and secondary tumors (8.5%).
The bottom line
This study concluded that imatinib is safe and effective for long periods of use in patients with CML.
What’s next?
Published By :
Annals of Hematology
Date :
May 11, 2019
