When Can Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Be Discontinued in Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia?

摘要

FM With the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), life expectancy in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is very close to that of the healthy population. Therefore, the main treatment objective is to improve quality of life. CML is considered a model for other types of cancer, since the discovery of the Philadelphia chromosomal abnormality as a marker in bone marrow cells. This abnormality is a driver of the disease, and it leads to the formation of the BCR-ABL oncogene. This gene encodes for the BCR-ABL protein, which is a tyrosine kinase that is specific to leukemic cells. By targeting tyrosine kinase activity, it is possible to target the leukemic cells. This discovery led to the development of the first TKI, imatinib. The proof of concept of using targeted therapy for leukemia was illustrated by this disease model.