Age and gender effects on molecular responses in chronic myeloid leukemia patients by first-line treatment: an Italian CML network cohort study

Among prognostic factors influencing the achievement of molecular responses in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), age has been suggested with contrasting results, while the role of gender is still uncertain. A large cohort of 1,394 newly diagnosed CML patients was analyzed by data collected in the Italian CML Network, evaluating the effect of age and gender on the probability of deep molecular responses (DMR). With a median follow-up of 5 years, female patients showed a higher rate of DMR as compared to males. The effect, constant over time, was more evident with imatinib and dasatinib. Indeed, age did not influence the probability of DMR, when considered overall or stratified according to the type of TKI. In a real-world analysis, it seems that age has no effect on DMR regardless of the TKI class, while female gender can be confirmed as significant prognostic factor.