학술논문
Incidence of Clinically Significant (≤10 g/dL) Late Anemia in Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Treated with Imatinib.
Document Type
Article
Author
Cesini, Laura; Carmosino, Ida; Breccia, Massimo; De Benedittis, Daniela; Mohamed, Sara; De Luca, Maria Lucia; Colafigli, Gioia; Molica, Matteo; Scalzulli, Emilia; Massaro, Fulvio; Mariggiò, Elena; Rizzo, Lorenzo; Loglisci, Maria Giovanna; Scamuffa, Maria Cristina; Vozella, Federico; Diverio, Daniela; Mancini, Marco; Alimena, Giuliana; Foà, Robin; Latagliata, Roberto
Source
Subject
*CHRONIC myeloid leukemia
*OLDER patients
*IMATINIB
*ANEMIA
*ERYTHROCYTES
*CHRONIC leukemia
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Language
ISSN
2296-5270
Abstract
Background: In elderly patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) responsive to imatinib, the incidence of clinically significant (CS) late chronic anemia is still unknown. Materials and Methods: To highlight this issue, we revised retrospectively 81 CML patients aged >60 years treated at our Institution with front-line imatinib for at least 24 months in durable complete cytogenetic response (CCyR). CS late chronic anemia was defined as the presence of persistent (>6 months) and otherwise unexplained Hb levels ≤10 g/dL, which occurred >6 months from imatinib start. Results: A condition of CS late chronic anemia occurred in 22 out of 81 patients (27.2%) at different intervals from imatinib start. Seven out of 22 patients (31.8%) needed packed red cell transfusions during the follow-up. At diagnosis, patients who developed CS late chronic anemia were significantly older and had a lower Hb median level. Six out of 22 patients with CS late chronic anemia received subcutaneous recombinant alpha-erythropoietin (EPO) at the standard dosage of 40,000 IU weekly: all 6 patients achieved an erythroid response. A significantly worse event-free survival (EFS) in patients with untreated CS late chronic anemia was observed (p = 0.012). Conclusions: CS late chronic anemia during long-term treatment with imatinib is a common complication in responsive elderly patients, with worse EFS if untreated. Results with EPO are encouraging, but larger studies are warranted to define its role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]