Tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia: approach to patients with treatment-naive or refractory chronic-phase disease.

The 21st century ushered in the dawn of a new era of targeted therapeutics and a dramatic shift in the management of chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) patients. Groundbreaking scientific and translational studies have led to the rapid development and approval of several effective BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). In the United States, there are currently 3 approved BCR-ABL TKIs for newly diagnosed CP-CML patients. It is anticipated that clinical outcomes will continue to improve as more TKIs that address unmet medical needs are approved. However, to achieve this goal, it is critical to carefully monitor and optimally manage patients. To this end, the latest seminal clinical trial results of approved and investigational BCR-ABL TKIs and some of the salient unique features of each of these agents are summarized herein.