The EUTOS CML score aims to support clinical decision-making

摘要

Marin et al recently have praised the Sokal score and expressed reluctance in being the first when new ways are tried. Unfortunately, the data they presented do not support their message. The data of 2060 patients in the European Treatment and Outcome Study (EUTOS) for CML were used to develop and validate the EUTOS score. The objective of the EUTOS score is to support clinical decision-making within the first 18 months after the initiation of treatment with Imatinib. The timeline of 18 months was chosen as our data showed convincingly that patients who did not achieve complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) up to this time point were less likely to achieve a CCyR during the further course of therapy and suffered a considerable risk of progressive disease. Thus, our work was focused on prognosticating as precise and efficient as possible the chance to be in CCyR after 18 months of therapy with Imatinib. Using the percentage of basophiles and the size of the spleen at diagnosis, the score divides the patients into a high-risk and a low-risk group with respect to a failure in meeting the therapeutic target of CCyR at 18 months.