Dr. Patel on the Unmet Need of FLT3 Inhibitors in AML Treatment

Prapti Patel, MD, assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, discusses the unmet need of FLT3 inhibitors in the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

There is a lot of space for FLT3 inhibitors in AML because a long-term care has not been found, says Patel. When looking at the tail of the survival curves for any FLT3 inhibitors, they taper off and there are no long-term survivors. These inhibitors should be looked at upfront, Patel adds.

A large concern is for a subgroup of patients that are resistant to FLT3 inhibitors. For example, patients who have a RAS pathway mutation tend to be resistant to gilteritinib (Xospata) or other FLT3 inhibitors. Novel agents have that space to fill, concludes Patel.