Patient-reported Symptom Monitoring and Adherence to Therapy in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

BackgroundThe authors assessed the clinical utility of patient-reported symptom monitoring in the setting of newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The primary objective was to evaluate adherence to therapy.MethodsThe authors conducted an international prospective study that included patients with newly diagnosed, chronic-phase CML. Before clinical consultation, patients were provided a tablet computer to self-rate their symptoms, and the results were available in real time to each physician during the patient's visit. Adherence was assessed by pill count and with a validated self-reported questionnaire. The proportions of optimal responders at 3 and 6 months were assessed according to the European LeukemiaNet criteria.ResultsBetween July 2020 and August 2021, 94 patients with a median age of 57 years were enrolled. Pill count adherence analysis indicated that 86 of 93 evaluable patients (92.5%) took at least 90% of prescribed tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy during the 6-month observation period. The online platform was well accepted by patients and physicians. An optimal response was achieved by 69 of 79 patients (87.3%) at 3 months and by 61 of 81 patients (75.3%) at 6 months.ConclusionsPatient-reported symptom monitoring from the beginning of therapy in patients with CML may be critical to improve adherence to therapy and early molecular response rates (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04384848). Optimal adherence to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia is critical to attain and maintain an optimal clinical response. The current findings suggest that systematic monitoring of patient-reported symptoms is associated with high adherence rates.