In a nutshell
This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
This study concluded that this treatment increased survival for new and older CML cases.
Some background
Imatinib (Gleevec) was the first tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This treatment works to block a protein that is associated with CML. In general, TKIs work by blocking cancer proteins that enable growth of the tumor.
The was still unknown what changes in disease-specific survival would be seen in patients with CML treated with TKIs as a first line treatment.
Methods & findings
This study analyzed the medical records from two cancer registries in Italy, including 357 new cases of CML. The disease-specific survival (patients alive with a specific disease) for CML cases diagnosed before and after the introduction of TKIs were calculated up to 10 years.
After the induction of TKIs, the 5-year disease-specific survival for CML increased from 47.3% to 80.8%. There was a 64% decreased risk of death for cases diagnosed after TKI introduction, with differences per age at diagnosis.
An improvement in survival was observed in cases diagnosed before and alive at TKI introduction. For these patients, the risk of death decreased by 44%.
The bottom line
This study concluded that TKIs increased disease-specific survival both for new and older CML cases.
The fine print
This study was limited to two population-based cancer registries in Italy. Further studies in more populations are needed.
What’s next?
If you have concerns regarding CML treatment, consult your physician about TKIs as a treatment option.
Published By :
BMC cancer
Date :
Nov 06, 2018
