Key clinical point: Patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) receiving a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) frontline and fulfilling eligibility criteria for European LeukemiaNet 2020 treatment-free remission (TFR) recommendations had the highest molecular recurrence-free survival (MRFS) after TKI discontinuation.
Major finding: MRFS at 2 and 5 years were 51.8% and 43.8%, respectively. MRFS was significantly higher in patients who fulfilled TFR recommendations vs. those who did not ( P = .005). Molecular recurrence was highest in patients treated with frontline imatinib not fulfilling TFR recommendations and lowest in patients treated with a second-generation TKI and who fulfilled the eligibility criteria.
Study details: This retrospective study assessed TFR eligibility and outcomes in 398 patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP treated with either imatinib (73%) or a second- or third-generation TKI (27%) as frontline therapy.
Disclosures: No specific funding source was identified. Some investigators including the lead author reported ties with various pharmaceutical companies. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Etienne G et al. Cancer Med. 2021 May 14. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3921 .