EARLY HLA-IDENTICAL BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION DURING CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA CHRONIC PHASE VS. LONG-TERM TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITOR THERAPY?
Transplantation of allogenic bone marrow (allo-BMT) remains the only method which can lead to cure of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This is proven by observations of patients living for decades in complete molecular remission after allo-BMT without maintenance therapy of any kind. Twenty-year experience with allo-BMT from HLA-identical siblings to CML patients indicates the possibility of biological recovery of 70-80% patients with CML chronic phase 1. Modern concepts of the role of allo-BMT in therapy of CML patients vs. wide use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors are discussed for the first time.