Assessment of estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia following discontinuation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors

BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have dramatically improved survival outcomes in patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) and are associated with a manageable safety profile. However, long-term TKI administration can lead to cardiovascular or renal adverse events. One goal in discontinuation of TKIs was reduction of adverse events, but it is unclear whether chronic toxicities are ameliorated as a result. In this study, we evaluated changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with CML-CP before and after TKI discontinuation. Long-term TKI treatment appears to induce renal toxicity, as eGFR at the time of TKI discontinuation correlated with the duration of TKI treatment (r = − 0.478, p = 0.005). Patients who received imatinib as first-line treatment exhibited lower eGFR levels than those treated with dasatinib or nilotinib, which may be correlated with long-term treatment (p = 0.027). After TKI discontinuation, no significant increases in eGFR were seen either in patients with treatment-free remission (66.8–71.2 ml/min/1.73 m2) or molecular relapse (64.8–68.7 ml/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.666). These data indicate that TKI-induced renal toxicities are associated with long-term TKI treatment, and may be irreversible even following treatment discontinuation.