Intake of benzodiazepines in treatment naïve chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients is associate with a shorter time to first treatment

Patients after diagnosis of leukemia face midlife crisis. In some instances, it may be accompanied by anxiety or depression, which may require pharmacological intervention. In this study, we explored the association between benzodiazepine (BZP) usage and time to first treatment (TTFT) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) under a watch-and-wait (W&W) approach. Utilizing data from Maccabi Healthcare Services in Israel, we analyzed 3,474 CLL patients, focusing on BZP and non-BZP users. 330 patients (9.5%) received a BZP agent for a minimum of 3 months. Among BZP users, the ten years treatment free ratio is 83.4%, while among non-BZP users it is 90.7%. Through inverse probability and time-dependent Cox proportional models, we observed that BZP usage was significantly associated with a shorter TTFT (HR 1.78, <i>p</i> = 0.029). Our study suggested BZP usage, is associated with shorter TTFT. While an association was observed, causality cannot be confirmed, and further studies are needed to validate the hypothetical association and clarify the underlying mechanisms and clinical implications.