Health-related quality of life in chronic myeloid leukemia patients receiving long-term therapy with imatinib compared with the general population

• Published in: Blood Vol. 118; no. 17; pp. 4554 - 4560
• Main Authors: Efficace, Fabio, Baccarani, Michele, Breccia, Massimo, Alimena, Giuliana, Rosti, Gianantonio, Cottone, Francesco, Deliliers, Giorgio Lambertenghi, Baratè, Claudia, Rossi, Antonella Russo, Fioritoni, Giuseppe, Luciano, Luigia, Turri, Diamante, Martino, Bruno, Di Raimondo, Francesco, Dabusti, Melissa, Bergamaschi, Micaela, Leoni, Pietro, Simula, Maria Pina, Levato, Luciano, Ulisciani, Stefano, Veneri, Dino, Sica, Simona, Rambaldi, Alessandro, Vignetti, Marco, Mandelli, Franco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Elsevier Inc 27.10.2011; Americain Society of Hematology
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Benzamides; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Status; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Humans; Imatinib Mesylate; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive - drug therapy; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive - epidemiology; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive - psychology; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Maintenance Chemotherapy; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Piperazines - adverse effects; Piperazines - therapeutic use; Population; Pyrimidines - adverse effects; Pyrimidines - therapeutic use; Quality of Life; Time Factors; Young Adult; Antineoplastic agent; Human; Imatinib; Hematology; Enzyme; Tyrosine kinase inhibitor; Transferases; Enzyme inhibitor; Chronic myelogenous leukemia; Malignant hemopathy; Long term; Health-Related Quality of Life; Myeloproliferative syndrome; Treatment; Protein-tyrosine kinase; Comparative study; Cancer
• ISSN: 0006-4971; 1528-0020; 1528-0020
• DOI: 10.1182/blood-2011-04-347575

The main objective of this study was to investigate whether patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in treatment with long-term therapy imatinib have a different health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) profile compared with the general population. In total, 448 CML patients were enrolled, and the SF-36 Health Survey was used to compare generic HRQOL profiles. Symptoms were also assessed. HRQOL comparisons were adjusted for key possible confounders. The median age of patients was 57 years and the median time of imatinib treatment was 5 years (range 3-9 years). The largest HRQOL differences were found in younger patients. In particular, patients aged between 18 and 39 years had marked impairments in role limitations because of physical and emotional problems, respectively: −22.6 (P < .001), −22.3 (P < .001). Patients with CML age 60 or older had a HRQOL profile very similar to that reported by the general population. Women had a worse profile than men when each were compared with their peers in the general population. Fatigue was the most frequently reported symptom. The HRQOL of CML patients is comparable with that of population norms in many areas, however, younger and female patients seem to report the major limitations.