Patient perceptions of treatment-free remission in chronic myeloid leukemia.

Lucia Villemagne Sanchez, Clare O'Callaghan, Karla Gough, Karen Hall, Yoshihisa Kashima, John Seymour, Penelope Schofield, David Ross

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Around half of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who achieve a stable deep molecular response would remain in treatment-free remission (TFR) if their tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were stopped. TFR is increasingly becoming a goal of treatment. Eighty-seven patients answered a survey exploring patient perceptions of TFR, incorporating CML-specific factors (disease history, treatment toxicity, and adherence) and questions concerning health beliefs. 81% of participants (95% CI: 72%–89%) indicated that they would be willing to attempt TFR. No demographic or CML-related variable in the survey was significantly associated with willingness. In qualitative analysis, the commonest motivations for TFR included TKI toxicity (n = 26) and convenience (n = 18). The leading reason for reluctance was fear of consequences of stopping TKI (n = 16). Reluctance was often associated with needs for additional information or incomplete understanding of the current data. Understanding patient motivations and concerns is important if TFR is to become a part of CML management.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)406-415
Number of pages10
JournalLeukemia and Lymphoma
Volume59
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2018

Keywords

  • Chronic myeloid leukemia
  • quality of life
  • treatment-free remission
  • tyrosine kinase inhibitor

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