How could patient reported outcomes improve patient management in chronic myeloid leukemia?

Patients reported outcome (PRO) are still under-used in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), though data on the correlation between quality of life (QoL) and therapeutic efficacy are increasingly known. Chronic low-grade toxicities can reduce patient's QoL and negatively impact on adherence. Areas covered: This review will focus on the role of QoL questionnaires in patients with CML, receiving imatinib or newer TKIs (dasatinib, nilotinib, bosutinib, ponatinib). Physicians tend to underestimate the impact of TKI-related symptoms, in particular fatigue, that negatively affect QoL and can be a reason of poor adherence to therapy, with detrimental effect on long-term response. Few studies pointed out the role of PRO in CML, and there is paucity of questionnaires specifically designed for CML patients. Expert commentary: We recommend a wider use of PRO to join the pursuit of a rapid and deep responses with an optimization of QoL.