Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Response to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) in Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: An Outcome of European LeukemiaNet Project

Abstract

The overall survival of patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) treated by using tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is very close to that of the healthy population. However, little is known about the effect of specific measures such as intermittent fasting, especially during Ramadan period. A 3-year retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the effect of fasting on patients with CML receiving TKIs by evaluating certain clinical, hematological, and molecular parameters. A total of 49 patients were eligible, with a median age of 46 years (range: 22-86), of these 36 (73.5%) were males and 13 (26.5%) were females. Twenty-seven (55%) patients are Middle Eastern, while 16 (32.7%) from the Indian subcontinent, and 6 (12.3%) Africans. Imatinib was the most common TKI; used in 25 patients (51%). The mean White blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils, and BCR-ABL were found to be reduced after fasting compared to before and during with statistical difference. The use of TKIs while fasting did not result in significant changes in hematological nor BCR-ABL levels in our study. Patients who wish to practice intermittent fasting may be reassured in this regard, yet physicians can adopt the safe trial approach, where they allow the patients to fast, but with instructions such as when to break fasting.