Optimizing health-related quality of life in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The current treatment landscape of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is challenging for several reasons, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) data may be of critical importance to help physicians and patients make more informed decisions.

Areas covered: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed to identify the most recent studies (between April 2016 and June 2020) assessing the impact of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on adult CML patients’ HRQOL. Studies assessing treatment discontinuation were also considered. For each study, we evaluated characteristics of CML patients included, treatment information and basic HRQOL data, including questionnaires used, and summary findings.

Expert opinion: Valuable information can be gleaned from recent CML studies including a HRQOL assessment; however, major gaps remain in our knowledge. These include, for example, a better understanding of the impact of second- and third-generation TKIs on patients’ HRQOL compared to imatinib therapy. Also, the benefits of TKI treatment discontinuation, in terms of symptom burden and HRQOL, are yet to be fully elucidated. More research efforts are needed in this area to generate high-quality evidence that can facilitate decision-making.

KEYWORDS:

• Chronic myeloid leukemia
• quality of life
• symptoms
• targeted therapy
• tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Article highlights

• Patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) data may be of critical importance in the current CML arena.

• Recent studies including a HRQOL assessment in CML, have provided valuable data that may contribute to facilitating clinical decision-making.

• Important gaps exist in our knowledge of the impact of second- and third-generation TKIs on patients’ HRQOL.

Declaration of interest

F Efficace receives consultancy fees from AbbVie, BMS, Amgen, Orsenix, Takeda and research grant (Institution) from Amgen, outside the submitted work. F Efficace is first author of two studies identified and discussed in this review and he was the Principal Investigator of the development of the EORTC QLQ-CML24 questionnaire. M Breccia receives honoraria by Novartis, Pfizer, Incyte, Celgene, outside the submitted work. M Vignetti receives personal fees from Amgen, Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celgene, Janssen, Novartis and Incyte, outside the submitted work. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.