ABSTRACT
Since its introduction in the early 1970s, allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has gained wide acceptance.1 It is generally considered as the only form of therapy with the capacity to cure CML.2 The efficacy of alloSCT in the treatment of chronic-phase CML has been evaluated in a number of observational studies and several retrospective studies (for reviews, see Goldman,3,4 Clift et al,5 and Gratwohl et al6). Projected actuarial 3-year to 5-year survival rates in these studies are in the 50-60% range, with slightly lower probabilities of disease-free survival. The prospect of cure in this disease came from projected survival curves that appear to plateau (or taper more slowly) after 3-7 years.7 However, while SCT was introduced nearly 30 years ago, it is of note that only a few published studies have reported data with a median follow-up of more than 40 months.
