Role of allogeneic transplantation in chronic myeloid leukemia

The use of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients has changed dramatically during the past decade. It was the standard of care for all younger CML patients with a compatible donor before the introduction of imatinib. It is used now as a rescue treatment for patients for whom tyrosine kinase inhibitors have failed. Both treatments, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and allogeneic transplantation, are very powerful and able to control the disease in the long-term. It is therefore of great importance to know the place of each therapy and to integrate allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a risk-adapted way into the treatment plan of each individual patient.