Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in India

In the last decade, the use of imatinib has brought a paradigm shift in the management of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In India, imatinib has been available for more than a decade and has been made accessible to all segments of the population because of patient assistance programs and cheaper generic versions. Despite improvements in survival, there are unique challenges in the Indian context.

We reviewed published data pertaining to CML in India for the period of 1990 to 2016, using PubMed advanced search with the terms chronic myeloid leukemia and India, and included studies that reported on epidemiology, monitoring for therapy, treatment outcomes, and resistance. Additionally, the references in retrieved articles were also reviewed.

Thirty-seven studies were identified. The incidence of CML may be slightly lower in India than in the West, but there was only a single article reporting population-based data. Indian patients presented with more advanced disease. Most centers have access to imatinib as first-line therapy, but there is limited availability of molecular monitoring and second-line therapy. Most of the outcome data were retrospective but seemed comparable with that reported in Western centers. Drug adherence was impaired in at least one third of patients and contributed to poor survival.

Focused prospective studies and cooperative studies might improve the quality of data available. Future studies should focus on adherence, its effects on outcomes, and methods to address this problem.