Proposed Strategies for Improving Adherence to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia

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Klin Onkol 2019; 32(4): 313.

Dear Editor,

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are the drug of first choice for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) [1]. However, for achieving complete molecular response, the patient’s adherence to a daily regimen in the prescribed dosage, time and duration is critical [2]. Previous studies have showed that patients’ adherence to long-term therapy with TKIs is suboptimal [3]. It is estimated that 30–47% of patients with CML receiving TKIs did not adhere completely to the therapeutic regimen and only 15% of them were 100% adherent [2,4]. Poor adherence to TKIs can delay the achievement of optimal therapeutic goals and the clinical response in patients with CML and this can compromise event-free survival [5,6]. By contrast, evidence suggests that good adherence to TKIs improves patient-related clinical outcomes [7].

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