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Chronic myeloid leukaemia. Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors have changed the natural history of chronic myeloid leukaemia in such a way that patients with adequate access to these agents, who are properly managed, and who respond well to this treatment can expect a near-normal life expectancy. Achieving this goal requires an adequate understanding of the patient's treatment goals, careful monitoring for the achievement of optimal response hallmarks, implementation of proper interventions according to the attainment of such endpoints, adequate recognition and management of adverse events, and acknowledgment of the relevance of comorbidities. Treatment with tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, once considered lifelong, has become terminable for at least some patients, and promising new agents are emerging for those whose disease does not respond to any of the multiple therapeutic options currently available. If these advances reach all patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia, cure might eventually become a reality in most instances.

Chronic myeloid leukaemia. In less than 10 years, the prognosis of chronic myeloid leukaemia has changed from that of a fatal disease to a disorder amenable simply to lifelong oral medication and compatible with a normal lifespan. This change has been made possible by a deep understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and a determination to develop targeted and selective drugs. This Seminar summarises the presentation, pathophysiology, diagnosis and monitoring technology, treatment options, side-effects, and outcomes of chronic myeloid leukaemia, and discusses the possibility of cure-ie, stable undetectable or low level disease in the absence of medication. Chronic myeloid leukaemia continues to instruct us in the mechanisms of leukaemogenesis and provides hope not only for similar developments in management of other malignancies, but also for the remarkable speed with which these can move from bench to bedside.