CML patients in the molecular era – report of five years experience of diagnosis and treatment in a single center

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) represents about 15% of all leukemia cases. Although the incidence of the disease is rather low, the therapeutic progress of the last decade has dramatically changed the evolution of this disease, whose survival considerably increased and in whom we now speak even about cure. The success of the therapy is strongly connected to the precocity of the diagnosis and molecular targeted therapy that implies a close monitoring of the patient. The specific molecular assay, that developed a lot in the last years, became an important tool in the management of these patients, providing the possibility of efficient changing in therapy. The purpose of our study was to identify the characteristics of our CML patients in terms of clinical and biological behavior. We analyzed 21 patients diagnosed between October 2007 and December 2010 and compared the data with a historical group of patients, also diagnosed in our department between March 2005 and September 2007. We found a better outcome and overall survival in the study group, due to improved diagnosis and monitoring techniques as well as to better access to therapy. Abbreviations accelerated phase (AP), blast phase (BP), Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), chronic phase (CP), complete cytogenetic response (CCyR), complete hematologic response (CHR), complete molecular response (CMolR), European LeukemiaNet (ELN), Imatinib mesylate (IM) , major molecular response (MMolR), minimal cytogenetic response (minCyR), partial cytogenetic response (PCyR), polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR), Qualitative Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (Q-PCR), Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (RT-PCR), tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI)