Third-line treatment with second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (dasatinib or nilotinib) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia after two prior TKIs: real-life data on a single center experience along with the review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES: Newer tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (bosutinib, ponatinib) and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) can be utilized as a salvage therapy in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who failed two lines (imatinib → nilotinib or imatinib → dasatinib) of TKI therapy. However, these TKIs are not available in many countries and not all patients can undergo allo-HSCT.

METHODS: In this study, CML patients who received dasatinib or nilotinib as a third-line treatment were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS: Out of 209 patients, third-line dasatinib/nilotinib was administered in 21. During the follow-up, 16 out of 21 patients gained and/or maintained an optimal response, and 4 patients died due to progression. Seventeen patients were alive at the time of the analysis, of which 13 were still on TKI, whereas 4 patients quit treatment.

DISCUSSION: In patients failing two lines of TKI, dasatinib or nilotinib can be beneficial and safely administered as a third-line treatment especially in nations with restricted resources.