Photo Credit: Nemes Laszlo

The following is a summary of “Second-line use of dasatinib and nilotinib in a real-world patient population with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia,” published in the March 2025 issue of Hematology by Toptas et al. 

Dasatinib and nilotinib are second-line treatments for chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) with similar efficacy but different safety profiles. No direct head-to-head comparison exists. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study on dasatinib and nilotinib in CML-CP. Efficacy was similar, but safety profiles differed. 

They analyzed data from 73 patients with CML-CP on second-line dasatinib or nilotinib. MMR at 12 months, 5-year treatment failure, and overall survival were assessed. 

The results showed that 73.5% of 34 patients in the dasatinib group and 76.9% of 39 patients in the nilotinib group achieved MMR at 12 months. The 5-year cumulative probability of treatment failure was 0% for dasatinib and 7.6% for nilotinib (P=0.25). The 8-year OS was 82.7% for dasatinib and 86.3% for nilotinib (P=0.90). Pleural effusions were more frequent in the dasatinib group, leading to treatment discontinuation, while cardiovascular events and thrombotic incidents were more common in the nilotinib group. 

Investigators exhibited similar efficacy in CML-CP treatment. They recommended considering patient comorbidities and safety profiles for management. 

Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16078454.2025.2478344