T. I. Ionova, D. A. Fedorenko, T. P. Nikitina, K. A. Kurbatova

Quality of life and symptom profile in patients with imatinib-resistant or imatinib-intolerant chronic myeloid leukemia

Seventy imatinib-resistant or imatinib-intolerant patients with chronic myeloid leukemia were involved in the study. In more than 30% of patients quality of life was severely or critically impaired.

Patients who were charged with standard doses of imatinib during the first-line treatment experienced better quality of life and less severe symptoms than patients who were treated with high doses of imatinib (600 or 800 mg/day). Patients who were intolerant to imatinib treatment showed lower quality of life as compared to patients who were resistant to imatinib treatment (physical functioning, role physical functioning, pain, general health; p<0,05).

A number of symptoms were more severe in patients who were intolerant to imatinib as compared to patients with imatinib resistance. Patient-reported outcomes contribute to comprehensive assessment of treatment efficacy in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia during disease-modifying treatment.