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Treatment Milestones in Ph+ CML

Setting treatment goals with your doctor

Setting treatment goals with your doctor.

By working closely with your doctor, you can learn how medication may help you reach your treatment goals for Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML).

 

Achieving a response

Every patient is unique and your doctor will need to discuss the treatment goals that are within your reach. Some common goals include:

 

Your doctor may talk about achieving what’s called a “molecular response.” This means the number of cells in your body with the BCR-ABL1 gene is going down. The lower the number of cells, the better.

 

Treatment milestones in Ph+ CML

Once you begin treatment for Ph+ CML, your doctor will have you go for routine blood and bone marrow tests. These tests can help your doctor see how you are responding to your medication. They can also help your doctor determine if you are reaching certain treatment milestones in Ph+ CML.

 

Your doctor will measure your response to treatment based on the amount of BCR-ABL1 in your blood. The BCR-ABL protein causes the production of leukemic cells.

 

Treatment Milestones Timeline

The milestones timeline below shows an ideal response to treatment, which your doctor may discuss with you. The illustrations are designed to help you picture how your blood counts may come down over time with treatment. The dots represent the number of BCR-ABL1 cells in the body.

 

Keep in mind, not every patient will reach these treatment milestones or reach them at the same time. 

Graphic of treatment timeline
At diagnosis: Baseline
  • Initial tests likely show a high level of blood cells with the abnormal gene BCR-ABL1
  • Your doctor will use this number as a baseline — or starting point. Baseline is considered BCR-ABL1 100%. This means that 100 out of 100 cells have the BCR-ABL1 gene
Graphic of treatment timeline
At 3 months and 6 months on treatment
  • Your doctor may see if you have an early molecular response
  • This means the amount of BCR-ABL1 is less than or equal to (≤) 10% of all the cells in your blood compared to baseline. In this case, 10 out of every 100 cells have the BCR-ABL1 gene
Graphic of treatment timeline
At 12 months on treatment
  • Your doctor may see if you've had a complete cytogenetic response (CCyR)
  • This means the amount of BCR-ABL1 is ≤1% of all the cells in your blood. In other words, 1 out of every 100 cells has the BCR-ABL1 gene compared to baseline
Graphic of treatment timeline
At 12 months on treatment
  • Your doctor may see if you have achieved major molecular response (MMR)
  • With MMR, the amount of BCR-ABL1 in the blood is 0.1%. This means that 1 out of every 1,000 cells has the BCR-ABL1 gene

Identifying a deep molecular response

Your doctor may look for another treatment result called a deep molecular response (DMR) or MR4.5. Your doctor may check to see if you reach this milestone by 5 years. 

 

With DMR, the amount of BCR-ABL1 is considered undetectable or ≤0.0032% of all the cells in your blood. This means that 1 out of every 32,000 cells or fewer has the BCR-ABL1 gene.

 

TASIGNA may help you reach your treatment goals

Talk to your doctor to determine the treatment goals that are within your reach and how TASIGNA® (nilotinib) capsules may help you get there. Learn more