Patterns of surveillance for late effects of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors in survivors of pediatric Philadelphia chromosome positive leukemias

By Smith SM, Sabnis HS, Lewis RW, et al
Published April 30, 2021

Key Takeaways

Researchers assessed real-world surveillance practices for potential cardiac as well as endocrine late impacts of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in pediatric and adolescent/young adult survivors of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph + ALL). They analyzed 66 eligible patients (CML n = 44; Ph + ALL n = 22). A survivorship clinic was visited by 2% of patients with CML and 57% with Ph + ALL, during a median 6.3 and 5.7 years of observation, respectively. Although findings revealed common exposure to TKIs in survivors of Ph + leukemias, there were differences in the patterns of surveillance for late impacts in CML and Ph + ALL, with more surveillance received by the latter possibly because of concomitant chemotherapy exposures. Targeted therapies like TKIs represent revolutionizing cancer treatment, but variability exists in surveillance for late impacts and referral to survivorship clinics in spite of the chronicity of exposure. There is a requirement for evidence based guidelines and longer follow-up.

Read the full article on BMC Cancer.

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