Comparison of the Efficacy of Nilotinib and Imatinib in the Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Objective: To compare the efficacy of nilotinib and imatinib in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Study Design: Analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Hematology, Chongqing Three Gorges Central Hospital, China, from January 2016 to January 2018. Methodology: Eighty patients with CML were randomly divided into the nilotinib group (treated with nilotinib) and the imatinib group (treated with imatinib), 40 patients in each group. The therapeutic effects of the two groups of patients were compared. Results: After months of treatment, the neutrophilic granulocytes and neutrophilic metamyelocyte, serum interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) levels in nilotinib group were lower than those in imatinib group (p=0.002, p<0.001, p=0.027, p=<0.001 and p=0.001, respectively); the proportion of patients with BCR-ABLIS <= 10% in nilotinib group and the proportion of patients with BCR-ABLIS <= 0.0032% were higher than those in imatinib group (p=0.032 and 0.043, respectively). During treatment period, there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions such as mild liver damage, nausea and vomiting, rash, musculoskeletal pain and edema between two groups (p = 0.556, 0.396, 0.576, 0.775 and 0.390, respectively). Conclusion: Nilotinib is superior to imatinib in the treatment of CML. There is no significant difference in the safety of the two drugs, and the adverse reactions can be tolerated.