EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this CME activity, participants should be able to:

1. Understand current and new concepts of the signal transduction pathways involved in chronic myeloid

leukemia (CML) and the mechanisms of action of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and other new agents.

2. Have insight into the possible mechanisms of genomic instability that predisposes to formation of the

BCR-ABL fusion gene and predispose also to disease progression and the consequences of such

instability.

3. Define a leukemia stem cell and its relationship to disease kinetics in so far as current knowledge permits.

4. Evaluate the merits of various management decisions, e.g. how to start treatment for patients in the

different phases of CML, how to assess success or failure of initial treatment, what approaches to

consider for patients who have failed to respond well to initial treatment, including assessing the precise

role of second and third generation TKIs and other non-molecular therapeutic approaches.

5. Review the current recommendations and discuss current concepts and challenges of monitoring

individual patients with hematologic, cytogenetic and molecular (RQ-PCR) methods.

6. Assess the role of allogeneic stem cell transplantation in the management of CML.

7. Critically evaluate the possible role of the different immunotherapeutic approaches in the treatment of

CML.

8. Discuss current data and ongoing research regarding treatment-free survival as an endpoint in CML

management.

9. Discuss patient reported outcomes and their role in the management of patients with CML.