Overview of chronic myeloid leukemia patients in Pakistan in the pre-imatanib era.
OBJECTIVE
To study the patient characteristics of patients diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) at a tertiary care cancer hospital in Pakistan.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis was conducted on CML patients treated between 1996 and 2004 at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center.


RESULTS
A total of 461 CML patient charts were reviewed. The mean and median ages at presentation were much younger than in the prior reports in the western literature with a quicker progression of disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors will likely have more impact on the lifespan of CML patients in Pakistan when compared with patients in the western hemisphere due to younger age at diagnosis.
Usmani
Saad Z
SZ
Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA. saadzu@yahoo.com
Yunus
Shakeeb A
SA
Jamal
Yasser
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001549:Benzamides; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D001549:Benzamides; D010879:Piperazines; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate