Impact of the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia by tyrosine-kinase inhibitors on sick leaves refund: a nationwide cohort study.

BACKGROUND

The advent of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKI) has led to new paradigms including occupational rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to characterize the impact of CML treatment on sick leaves within the 2 years following diagnosis in working-age patients.

METHODS

A cohort of all 18-60-year-old newly diagnosed CML patients initiating a TKI between January 1 2011 and December 31 2014 in France was identified in the French National Healthcare database (Système National des Données de Santé [SNDS]). Patients with a sick leave identified in the 24 months after TKI initiation were compared with sex and initiation date matched controls in a nested case-control design. Factors associated with sick leaves were identified through a conditional logistic regression model, providing adjusted odds-ratio (OR) with their 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Among 646 18-60-year-old patients, 268 were prescribed at least one sick leave in the study period, with 176 (27.2%) having their first sick leave prescribed after TKI initiation. The median number of sick days over the 2-years period was 115 per patient (interquartile range 25.5-384.5). In the nested case-control study (176 cases and 176 matched controls), sick leaves were more likely observed with second generation TKI (OR 4.11 [1.80-9.38]), whereas they were less likely observed in case if social deprivation (OR 0.07 [0.02-0.28].

CONCLUSION

More than 25% of working-age CML patients had at least one sick leave within 2 years of TKI initiation, with a higher impact of second generation TKI, and with a median duration of 115 days.