Evaluation of treatment compliance in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

Compliance with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) used orally in the treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is important for the optimal treatment of the disease. This study was planned to determine compliance with TKI treatment, which requires regular lifelong use in CML patients. Study data were obtained by interviewing 49 patients diagnosed with CML and receiving TKI treatment who came to Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Hospital Hematology Polyclinic between January and July 2023. Patient Diagnosis Form', 'Medication Compliance Reporting Scale (DDS)', which evaluates individuals' treatment compliance, and 'Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS)', which detects anxiety and depression levels, were used to collect data. The average age of the patients in the study was 54.90 ± 14.81 years and 57.12% were male. The average total score of the patients on the MARS was 23.30, and 22.4% of them showed full compliance with the TKI treatment by receiving 25, which is the maximum score that can be obtained from the scale. The HADS general mean score is 4.94 for anxiety and 6.30 for depression, and 24.5% of the patients have high scores for anxiety and 40.8% for depression. Individuals who stop taking their medication when they feel bad, show behavior of not taking medication in the last three months, and need to be reminded to take medication have higher mean scores for both anxiety and depression (p<0.05). High levels of addiction in individuals with baseline characteristics (P<0.05). In the regression analysis, it was found that anxiety in CML patients reduced treatment compliance (P<0.05), while depression did not affect medication compliance (p>0.05). As a result, treatment compliance of the patients examined within the scope of the study was high, and it was observed that the patient's anxiety level had an impact on medication compliance. In order to increase compliance with TKI in CML patients, it may be recommended to plan interventions to reduce anxiety and conduct the study with a larger sample group.