Imatinib in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia in Morocco

Introduction > The treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has been revolutionized by the advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The results of the IRIS trial demonstrated the efficacy and long-term safety profile of Imatinib. The objective of our work is to report the results at 15 years of treatment of CML in chronic phase with Imatinib in Morocco. Patients and methods > Retrospective study realized at the hematology unit of CHU d'Ibn-Rochd in Casablanca, from January 2003 to September 2018, including all CML patients in the chronic phase at diagnosis, were treated with Imatinib for a minimum duration of 6 months. Results > In total, 318 patients were collected, the median age was 41.5 years, the sex ratio M/F was 0.7, the Sokal score was high in 56% of cases. The complete hematological response at 3 months was 92%, the complete cytogenetic response at 12 months and the cumulative response were obtained in 43% (29/67) and 55% (153/279) of the cases respectively, the molecular response was evaluated in 125 patients witch 85% were on major molecular response. On a median follow-up of 44 months, the OS and EFS at 10 years were 86% and 59%, respectively. Discussion > Our profile is characterized by a young age of the patients, the female predominance and a high Sokal score. The rate of complete cytogenetic response remains lower compared to what is described, however the survival rates as well as the tolerance were similar to those of the literature.