The best treatment for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is targeted therapy with a combination of drugs known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). TKIs specifically target and inhibit the activity of the abnormal cancer-causing gene, known as BCR-ABL, that is responsible for the development of CML. This type of therapy works by blocking the signals that fuel the growth of cancer cells, so they can no longer divide and multiply.
TKIs are typically taken orally as a pill and can be used alone or in combination with other medications. The most commonly used TKIs for CML include imatinib (Gleevec), dasatinib (Sprycel), and nilotinib (Tasigna). These medications are usually well tolerated and have been shown to effectively reduce or eliminate the symptoms of CML.
In addition to TKIs, chemotherapy and radiation therapy may also be used to treat CML. These treatments can be used to target all of the cancer cells in the body, but can also cause serious side effects. For this reason, they are usually used only when other treatments are not working.
Finally, stem cell transplantation may be used to treat CML. This procedure replaces the patient's diseased cells with healthy stem cells, allowing them to repopulate the body with healthy cells. This procedure carries a risk of serious complications and is usually reserved for patients whose CML is not responding to other treatments.
Overall, TKIs are currently the best treatment for CML. They are effective at reducing or eliminating the symptoms of CML, have fewer side effects, and are more convenient to take than chemotherapy and radiation therapy. They are also less risky than stem cell transplantation. For these reasons, TKIs are the recommended treatment for most patients with CML.