Chronic Myeloid Leukemia-the Promise of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Discontinuation. Curr Hematol Malig Rep 2017 Oct;12(5):415-423
Date
09/26/2017Pubmed ID
28944397Pubmed Central ID
PMC6045428DOI
10.1007/s11899-017-0404-zScopus ID
2-s2.0-85029897925 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 8 CitationsAbstract
Some believe that tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy is as close to perfect as it gets in oncologic therapy. Patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are treated with a daily oral therapy, through which most achieve remission. TKI therapy is not associated with classic chemotherapy side effects, and most patients are able to resume their normal activities of daily living. Moreover, recent data has demonstrated that CML does not affect the life expectancy of patients whose disease is well controlled with a TKI. However, TKI therapy is actually not that perfect. Patients need to stay on therapy forever. They have to remember to take their medications daily. TKIs are expensive, and the financial burden to patient and society cannot be overstated. Most patients' health-related quality of life is affected; common side effects include fatigue, muscle cramps, pain, edema, skin problems, and gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition, concerns about long-term side effects remain. Recently several studies have shown the feasibility and safety of discontinuation in a select group of patients. Herein, we will review the currently available data on stopping TKIs in CML.
Author List
Narra RK, Flynn KE, Atallah EAuthors
Ehab L. Atallah MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinKathryn Eve Flynn PhD Vice Chair, Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Ravi Kishore Narra MD Assistant Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Activities of Daily LivingHumans
Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive
Protein Kinase Inhibitors
Quality of Life
