A recent study that interviewed patients with nonadvanced systemic mastocytosis (SM) highlights the need to better address SM symptoms and their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), according to an abstract recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Non-advanced SMAdvanced SM In these subtypes of SM, mast cells begin to damage organs. Advanced SM includes the subtypes aggressive SM, mast cell leukemia and SM with an associated hematological neoplasm. subtypes, such as indolent SMIndolent SM A subtype of nonadvanced SM caused by the abnormal accumulation of mast cells in the bone marrow and other organs. Indolent SM accounts for around 90% of SM cases., differ from the advanced subtypes in terms of severity, disease progression and patient outcomes. Nevertheless, patients with non-advanced SM can still experience debilitating symptoms that significantly impair QoL.
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Patient insights were collected during entry interviews for the SUMMIT clinical trial, which studied the tyrosine kinase inhibitorTyrosine kinase inhibitor Targeted therapies designed to block the KIT D816V mutation that drives most cases of SM. Includes avapritinib, midostaurin and imatinib. bezuclastinib in patients with nonadvanced SMNonadvanced SM In these subtypes of SM, mast cells accumulate in the body but do not usually cause severe organ damage. Nonadvanced SM includes the subtypes indolent SM and smoldering SM.. Before the start of the study, participants were interviewed about their symptoms while being on best supportive care. In addition, participants were asked to elaborate on their disease journey and experience.
Across 70 entry interviews, 82 total symptoms were reported, with patients having an average of 11.1 symptoms. The most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (96%) and itching (94%), followed by headache (86%). Other prominent symptoms included joint pain (84%) and abdominal pain (84%), as well as bone pain (83%).
Participants were also asked about how these symptoms affected their lives. Researchers found that the primary impact was in terms of emotional health and well-being (50%). At a close second were concerns about disease morbidity and lifespan (46%). Patients also described how symptoms limited their activities of daily living (41%).
“Patients experienced a variety of symptoms which impacted their HRQoL and highlighted the unmet need related to symptom management,” the research team concluded.
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