The advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), transforming its management into a chronic disease model and bringing patient life expectancy close to that of the general population. However, some patients experience treatment failure due to intolerance or insufficient response to at least two existing therapies, or the development of resistance, with consecutive changes in TKIs being associated with an increased risk of treatment failure. Patients with prior treatment intolerance, not achieving major molecular response (MMR) within two years, or with BCR-ABL gene mutations may develop resistance to current TKIs, increasing the risk of disease progression. Moreover, as treatment duration extends, patient demands for treatment tolerability increase. Balancing disease treatment with quality of life is particularly important for long-term survival. During the recent 12th Annual Meeting of the Society for Hematologic Oncology (SOHO 2024), "Hematology Frontier" had the honor of interviewing Dr. Jorge E. Cortes, Director of the Georgia Cancer Center at the Medical College of Georgia, who discussed the profound impact of Asciminib on current CML treatment patterns and future therapeutic landscapes, based on key findings from the ASC4FIRST study.
