With the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), the life expectancy of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is now approaching that of the general population, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Hannah Bower, MD, from the Karolinska University Hospital Solna in Stockholm, Sweden, and authors analyzed data from 2,662 patients with CML in the Swedish Cancer Registry who were diagnosed between 1973 and 2013.
The findings indicated that life expectancy dramatically improved over the study period, with the largest improvements observed in the youngest patients. Patients diagnosed in 2013 – regardless of age – will lose an average <3 life-years as a result of CML, according to the study.
"Imatinib mesylate and new TKIs, along with alloHCT and other factors, have contributed to the life expectancy in patients with CML approaching that of the general population today," the authors concluded. "This will be an important message to convey to patients to understand the impact of a CML diagnosis on their life."
Source: Bower H, Björkholm M, Dickman PW, Höglund M, Lambert PC, Andersson TM. Life expectancy of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia approaches the life expectancy of the general population. J Clin Oncol. 2016 June 20. [Epub ahead of print]