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Present and future of molecular monitoring in chronic myeloid leukaemia
Author(s) -
Soverini Simona,
De Benedittis Caterina,
Mancini Manuela,
Martinelli Giovanni
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/bjh.13966
Subject(s) - chronic myeloid leukaemia , medicine , intensive care medicine , tyrosine kinase , disease , tyrosine kinase inhibitor , bioinformatics , immunology , biology , cancer , receptor
Summary Currently, physicians treating chronic myeloid leukaemia ( CML ) patients can rely on a wide spectrum of therapeutic options: the best use of such options is essential to achieve excellent clinical outcomes and, possibly, treatment‐free remission ( TFR ). To accomplish this, proper integration of expert clinical and laboratory monitoring of CML patients is fundamental. Molecular response ( MR ) monitoring of patients at defined time points has emerged as an important success factor for optimal disease management and BCR ‐ ABL 1 kinase domain mutation screening is useful to guide therapeutic reassessment in patients who do not achieve optimal responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Deeper MR s might be associated with improved long‐term survival outcomes. More importantly, they are considered a gateway to TFR . In molecular biology, novel procedures and technologies are continually being developed. More sophisticated molecular tools and automated analytical solutions are emerging as CML treatment endpoints and expectations become more and more ambitious. Here we provide a critical overview of current and novel methodologies, present their strengths and pitfalls and discuss what their present and future role might be.