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Chronic Myelogeneous Leukemia

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Management of Hematological Cancer in Older People

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Abstract

The impact of age as a poor prognostic factor in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has been well described. In the interferon era, elderly patients diagnosed with CML in chronic phase had shorter survival compared to younger patients. With the advent of targeted therapy with imatinib, studies described consistently improved responses in elderly late chronic phase patients treated with imatinib after IFN failure, with similar overall survival compared to the younger population.

Imatinib in newly diagnosed older patients showed similar rate of cytogenetic and molecular responses compared to younger patients. Few data are available relating elderly CML patients subset treated with 2nd-generation TKIs after resistance/intolerance to imatinib: both nilotinib and dasatinib have demonstrated efficacy and limited toxicity profile as in younger patients. The aim of this review is to highlight the fact that elderly CML patients can benefit from targeted therapy with limited adverse events.

Disclosures 

AH and SS received research support and honoraria by Novartis, BMS, ARIAD and Pfizer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abteilung Hämatologie/Onkologie, Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Erlanger Allee 101, Jena, 07740, Germany

    Prof. Dr. Andreas Hochhaus

  2. III. Medizinische Universitätsklinik, Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim, der Universität Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

    Susanne Saussele MD

Authors
  1. Prof. Dr. Andreas Hochhaus
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  2. Susanne Saussele MD
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Correspondence to Andreas Hochhaus .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Palliative Care, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Thüringen, Germany

    Ulrich Wedding

  2. St Helens Teaching Hospital, University of Liverpool, St Helens, United Kingdom

    Riccardo A. Audisio

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Hochhaus, A., Saussele, S. (2015). Chronic Myelogeneous Leukemia. In: Wedding, U., Audisio, R. (eds) Management of Hematological Cancer in Older People. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2837-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2837-3_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-2836-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-2837-3

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