| Abstract: |
Background: Pexidartinib (Turalio) is the only systemic therapy approved by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with symptomatic tenosynovial giant-cell tumor (TGCT) associated with severe morbidity or functional limitations, and not amenable to improvement with surgery. This study assessed patient-reported treatment experiences and symptom improvement among patients receiving pexidartinib. Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based survey collected data on demographics, disease history, pexidartinib dosing, and symptoms before and after pexidartinib use. Results: Of 288 patients enrolled in the Turalio REMS program in May 2021, 83 completed the survey: mean age was 44.2 years, 62.7% were female, and most common tumor sites were in knee (61%) and ankle (12%). Mean initial dose was 622 mg/day: 29 patients reported reduction from initial dose and 8 had dose reduction after titrating up to a higher dose. At the time of survey completion, median time on pexidartinib was 6.0 months; 22 (26.5%) patients discontinued pexidartinib due to physician suggestion, abnormal laboratory results, side effect, or symptom improvement. Compared with before pexidartinib initiation, most patients reported improvement in overall TGCT symptom (78.3%) and physical function (77.2%) during pexidartinib treatment. Significant improvement was reported during pexidartinib treatment in worst stiffness numeric rating scale (NRS) (3.0 vs. 6.2, P < .05) and worst pain NRS (2.7 vs. 5.7, P < .05). Conclusion: Findings from this cross-sectional survey confirmed the benefit of pexidartinib in improving symptoms and functional outcomes among patients with symptomatic TGCTs from the patients' perspective. Future research is warranted to examine the long-term benefit and risk of pexidartinib. © The Author(s) 2023. |
