Conference Abstracts - 2025 Summit on Hematologic Cancers
Vol. 5, Issue Supplement 1, 2025 · S1-2
Survival in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Among Asian Indian & Pakistani Americans vs Non‑Hispanic Whites: An Analysis of SEER 2000‑2022
Rahul Thakur, MD,Rosy Shah, MBBS,Anish Shah, MD,Barun Ray, MD,Monika Thakur, MD
Submission received: 2025-07-16 / Accepted: 2025-07-28 / Published: 2025-09-16
Abstract
Background
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematologic malignancy that has undergone remarkable therapeutic transformation with the advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). While racial disparities in CML outcomes have been examined in other minority populations, outcomes among Asian Indian and Pakistani Americans (AIPA) remain poorly defined. This study compares survival outcomes between AIPA and Non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients with CML using national cancer registry data.
Methods
We identified adults (≥18 years) diagnosed with CML between 2000 and 2022 using the SEER database. Patients were classified as AIPA or NHW based on race and ethnicity. Kaplan-Meier survival curves with log-rank tests were used for unadjusted survival analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS), adjusting for age, sex, year of diagnosis, and chemotherapy receipt.
Results
Among 27,353 eligible patients, 102 were AIPA and 27,251 were NHW. In unadjusted analysis, AIPA patients had significantly improved survival compared to NHW (log-rank p<0.001). Univariate Cox analysis showed a survival benefit in AIPA patients (HR 0.46; 95% CI: 0.37–0.55; p<0.001). In multivariable analysis, AIPA status remained significantly associated with improved survival (HR 0.81; 95% CI: 0.66–0.98; p=0.03). Additional predictors of improved survival included chemotherapy receipt (HR 0.78; p<0.001) and female sex (HR 0.80; p<0.001), while older age was associated with worse OS (HR 1.07 per year; p<0.001). The proportional hazards assumption was met for race (p=0.49).
Conclusion
AIPA patients with CML had significantly improved survival compared to NHW patients, even after adjusting for treatment and demographic variables. Although limited by the small AIPA sample size and the absence of socioeconomic or molecular data, these findings provide a benchmark for future investigations of biologic and access‑related factors affecting outcomes in South Asian populations.