title: Discontinuation of TKI therapy and 'functional' cure for CML.
abstract: Stopping tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy after achieving a sustained deep molecular response is an emerging treatment goal for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia in chronic phase (CML-CP). Indeed, the feasibility of stopping TKI therapy has been confirmed in various studies. The Stop Imatinib 1 (STIM1) study has shown a consistent follow-up which allowed defining a new criterion of clinical outcome evaluation, the treatment free remission (TFR). However, announcing a definitive cure remains a challenge owing to the discovery that TKIs spare quiescent leukaemic stem cells (LSC). It is definitely known that even a patient in long-term TFR has persistent LSCs. For this reason, a "functional" cure has been defined and proposed.
authors.affiliation: Institut Bergonié, Cancer Centre, 229 cours de l'Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux, France; Laboratory of Mammary and Leukemic Oncogenesis: Genetic Diversity and Resistance to Treatment, INSERM U1218, University of Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: francois-xavier.mahon@u-bordeaux.fr.
authors.forename: François-Xavier
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Mahon
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate
keywords: Chronic myeloid leukaemia; Functional cure; Tyrosine kinase inhibitors