CML Treatments
  • A bone marrow (stem cell) transplant (BMT or SCT)
with fully matched related and unrelated donors is the
only treatment known to give long-term remissions in
CML.  Due to the risk of the procedure which increases
with age and low chances of finding a full matched
donor, doctors were motivated to find other means for
providing long-term remissions.



  • Gleevec or Imatinib Mesylate is the first-line treatment
therapy in CML.  It is an oral pill to be ingested daily
and some doctors call this targeted therapy a
functional cure.



  • Sprycel (Dasatinib) was designed to overcome BCR-
ABL mutations arising in Gleevec patients and is a
more potent inhibitor than Gleevec.  It is a dual BCR-
ABL kinase inhibitor and SRC kinase inhibitor.  Phase
II trials have shown Sprycel effective in Gleevec-
resistant CML.  Currently, Sprycel trials are in progress
on newly diagnosed patients.



  • Tasigna (Nilotinib) is a BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor more
potent than Gleevec and also shows anti-CML activity
in Gleevec-resistant patients.  Currently, trials are on to
study anti-leukemic activity in newly diagnosed patients.

  • Bosutinib (SKI-606), like Sprycel, is a dual BCR-ABL
and SRC kinase inhibitor.  It is showing good results
for Gleevec-resistant patients.



  • CML Vaccines- Doctors think that vaccines have a
good chance of targeting minimal residual disease in
Gleevec patients.  Several vaccine trials are on.



  • Interferon in low doses can also target minimal residual
disease in Gleevec patients as it can elicit immune
responses that can eradicate CML.  Trials of Interferon
in this setting are on.



  • MK-0457- This drug from Merck is an aurora kinase
inhibitor and showing activity against the T315I
mutation in patients on Gleevec, Nilotinib and
Dasatinib.