Key clinical point: Upfront imatinib treatment was equally effective in elderly vs. younger patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Management of therapy-related adverse events (AEs) may lead to better clinical outcomes.
Major finding: Although overall survival was higher in younger patients ( P less than .001), rates of early molecular response (MR), complete cytogenic response, major MR, deep MR, and event-free survival were not significantly different between elderly and younger patients. Hematological AEs (24% vs. 7%; P = .005) and AE-related dose reduction (33% vs. 9%; P less than .001) were higher in elderly vs. younger patients.
Study details: Data come from a retrospective study of 158 elderly (aged 60 years or older, n=33) and younger (aged less than 60 years, n=125) patients with Philadelphia-positive CML.
Disclosures: No funding source was identified. The lead author, AE Eşkazan and T Soysal reported ties with various pharmaceutical companies. Other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Eşkazan AE et al. Clin Lymph Myel Leuk. 2021 Apr 13. doi: 10.1016/j.clml.2021.04.005 .