ALBERT

Description: Key Points INTERIM treatment affects cytogenetic and molecular response, but not the outcome. No patients treated with INTERIM progressed to accelerated or blast phase.

Description: Abstract 3426 Imatinib mesylate (IM) has shown remarkable efficacy for the treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients (pts) in the chronic phase of the disease. However, while most individuals achieve an optimal response to conventional IM therapy, approximately 30% either fail IM or develop intolerance to the drug. Thus, there is a growing need for biological parameters predictive of IM response (at diagnosis or during the first months of therapy) in order to recognize pts with a more aggressive disease that should receive alternative treatments. We examined the outcomes of the first 193 CML pts accrued to the observational SCREEN (Sicily and Calabria CML REgional ENterprise) multicenter non-sponsored study, and analyzed the responses of this unselected population. Pts characteristics were as shown in Table 1. All subjects received IM 400 mg daily. Median follow-up was 26 months (range 3–60). Complete hematological (CHR), cytogenetic (CCyR) and major molecular responses (MMR) were rated according to the European Leukemia Net 2006 guidelines. Peripheral blood samples were used for BCR-ABL determination by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction according to the International standardized Scale (IS). To identify parameters predictive of IM response, pts were stratified according to clinical and molecular responses or BCR-ABL transcript levels at diagnosis and analyzed for their outcome on an intention to treat basis. At 12 months, cumulative incidences of CHRs, CCyRs and MMRs were 100%, 82% and 43%, respectively. At 24 months, incidences of CCyR and MMR increased to 87% and 67%. According to the ELN criteria, 121 pts (62%) achieved an optimal response; 36 pts (19%) had a suboptimal response; 32 pts (17%) failed IM because of either primary (20 pts) or secondary (12 pts) resistance. Only 4 pts (2%) were intolerant to IM. Kaplan-Meyer estimates for overall, progression-free, event-free and failure-free survival at 60 months were 99%, 96% 80% and 72%. When we clustered all subjects in optimal responders (ORs) and suboptimal/resistant (S/R) pts and correlated response to therapy with various molecular characteristics we found that the amount of BCR-ABLIS transcripts at diagnosis predicted response to IM. Indeed, the median amount of BCR-ABLIS at diagnosis displayed by patients that failed IM or achieved a suboptimal response was significantly higher (104.154IS) than that of patients obtaining an optimal response (53.478IS; p=0.000611). As WBC counts were not significantly different between ORs and S/R pts (p=0.2065), increased amounts of BCR-ABLIS transcripts were probably representative of the aggressiveness of the leukemic clone. We also observed that pts displaying 〉10% BCR-ABLIS after 3 or 6 months of IM had a significantly lower chance of achieving a CCyR compared to pts with BCR-ABLIS levels lower than 10% (p

Description: Background. Nilotinib 300 mg BID was approved as frontline treatment in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) patients and allowed to reach deep molecular responses in a shorter median time with reduction of progression rate. Nilotinib is associated to a specific safety profile, with metabolic side effect as the most common events and increased probability of cardiovascular disorders. Aim. Aim of our study is to prospectively assess metabolic changes and cardiovascular safety during treatment with nilotinib, in a single arm multicentric Italian GIMEMA trial (0811), testing the drug as frontline treatment with the primary endpoint to obtain MR4 at 24 months. All metabolic changes were classified according to CTC grade. Lipidic changes were assessed according to American Association of Clinical endocrinologist criteria of 2012 and glucose abnormalities according to American diabetologist association (ADA). Results. One hundred and thirty patients were enrolled in 33 different centers: median age 50.5 years (range 18-85), 64.6% male. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.3, with 40% of patients being overweight/obese according to WHO classification. At last contact, 100 patients were still in treatment, the majority with full dose (86%). According to ADA criteria 47%, 10%, 4.6% and 6% of patients experienced grade 1 (101-125 mg/dl), grade 2 (126-150 mg/dl), grade 3 (151-200 mg/dl) and grade 4 (〉200 mg/dl), increased fasting glucose, respectively. As compared to baseline, a significant variation was observed after 1 year (p8), respectively according to ADA criteria. AACE criteria identified a significant reduction of triglycerides (p

Description: Background The approval of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for the first line treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) has generated a need for early molecular parameters associated with inadequate responses to Imatinib Mesylate (IM). Objective We correlated quantitative determination of BCR-ABL transcripts at diagnosis with the outcome (defined according to the 2013 European Leukemia Net recommendations) of 272 newly diagnosed CML patients receiving IM 400 mg/die. Methods BCR-ABL transcripts were measured from peripheral blood samples drawn at diagnosis before patients received any pharmacological treatment using Real-Time Quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR). All molecular determinations were performed twice (in triplicates) on the same sample using either ABL or glucuronidase-beta (GUS) as reference genes. BCR-ABL values were then reported on the international scale (IS). Results With a median follow-up of 60 months, 65.4% of patients achieved an optimal response, 5.6% presented a response currently defined as "warning", 22.4% failed IM treatment and 6.6% switched to a different tyrosine kinase inhibitor because of intolerance to the drug. We recorded 19 deaths (6.9%), 7 (2.5%) attributable to disease progression. We applied Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to define BCR-ABL/GUSIS expression levels that would separate patients likely (i.e. below the threshold) or unlikely (i.e. above the threshold) to achieve multiple endpoints, namely: optimal response (OR), failure-free survival (FFS), event-free survival (EFS), transformation-free survival (TFS) and overall survival (OS). Employing the specific threshold calculated for each endpoint we found that high BCR-ABL/GUSIS levels at diagnosis were associated with inferior probabilities of OR (p

Description: Abstract 3412 The phase II explorative study of intermittent Imatinib (IM) treatment (InterIM) in elderly patients with Ph + chronic myeloid Leukemia (CML) who achieved a stable complete cytogenetic response (CCgR) after at least 2-years standard IM therapy (any dose between 300 and 800 mg/day) was started in April 2008 and closed for the enrollment in August 2009, since more than 78 patients required by statistics were included into the study. The main objective of the study was to investigate if after 12 months (trial time) the CCgR achieved with standard (daily administration) IM therapy could be maintained with InterIM. For this purpose, the CgR status was assessed by Interphase Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (I-FISH) on peripheral blood (≥ 200 cells counted) every 3 months. When I-FISH (% Ph + nuclei) increased more then 1%, chromosome banding analysis (CBA) on bone marrow was performed to confirm the loss of CCgR and to check for additional cytogenetic abnormalities (ACA). At the present time, out of the 95 patients who were enrolled, 82 patients were evaluable and out of them 77 (94%), 73 (89%), 71 (87%) and 70 (85%) completed 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of the treatment program, respectively. Therefore, the great majority of patients completed the study core and at the end of 2010 all the patients are expected to complete the trial time (12 mo). During the first 12 months of InterIM, 1% to 11% of the evaluable patients at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months showed an I-FISH 〉1% Ph+ nuclei (Figure 1). Figure 1 Distribution of patients according to I-FISH Figure 1. Distribution of patients according to I-FISH Totally, eleven (13%) out of 82 patients treated with InterIM showed an I-FISH 〉1% and they were checked by CBA on bone marrow (Figure 2). Out of them only 3 cases, that means 4% of the 82 evaluable patients, lost the CCgR and resumed standard IM therapy (daily administration), but none completed 3 months of therapy. All the patients lost the MMR and increased several folds the BCR-ABL transcript levels. Two pts had a low risk Sokal and one a high risk; age was 66, 69, 77 years; time from diagnosis was 29, 91 and 100 months; duration of IM therapy was 29, 83 and 84 months; the IM dose was 400mg in all cases. Figure 2 Cytogenetic and molecular response in 11 cases who showed I-FISH 〉1% + nuclei and who were checked by CBA on bone marrow. Black boxes shows the 3 cases who lost the CCgR Figure 2. Cytogenetic and molecular response in 11 cases who showed I-FISH 〉1% + nuclei and who were checked by CBA on bone marrow. Black boxes shows the 3 cases who lost the CCgR As concern as molecular response, 99% of the patients had a major molecular response (MMR=

Description: Abstract 1680 Background. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by the presence of the BCR-ABL1 hybrid gene. Different types of BCR-ABL1 fusion transcripts can be found, but the most frequent are the e13a2 (b2a2) and the e14a2 (b3a2). In the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) era, few data about the prognostic significance of the transcript type in early chronic phase (ECP) CML are available. Three larger studies suggested that the e13a2 transcript may have an adverse prognostic impact in ECP CML patients treated with imatinib (IM): Vega-Ruiz et al. (251 patients, ASH 2007) reported inferior molecular responses; Lucas et al. (71 patients, Haematologica 2009) reported lower cytogenetic response rates and lower event-free survival (EFS); the GIMEMA CML WP (493 patients, EHA 2011) reported a slower time to major molecular response (MMR) with inferior EFS and progression-free survival (PFS). To our knowledge this is the first evaluation of the prognostic influence of the BCR-ABL1 transcript type on the responses and the outcome of ECP CML treated frontline with nilotinib (NIL). Methods. The CML Italian Registry of Nilotinib includes 215 patients treated with NIL-based regimens. The patients were enrolled within 2 multicenter phase II studies conducted by the GIMEMA CML WP (ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT00481052 and NCT00769327) or treated at the “S. Orsola-Malpighi” University Hospital (Bologna, Italy), with NIL 300 mg BID or 400 mg BID as initial treatment. All the registered patients were analyzed. Patients expressing rare transcripts and patients with both b2a2 and b3a2 transcripts were excluded: 201 out of 215 patients were evaluable, 81 (40%) with e13a2 transcript and 120 (60%) with e14a2 transcript. Differences between groups were tested using χ2 test, Fisher exact test or t-test, as appropriate. Response monitoring: conventional cytogenetic examination (bone marrow) and QPCR (peripheral blood). Definitions: MMR: BCR-ABLIS ratio

Description: Objectives Relapsed/refractory AML patients  have a poor prognosis; allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only chance in this setting to achieve long-term disease-free survival (1). It was previously established the activity of clofarabine plus cytarabine in AML relapse (clofarabine dosed once daily for 5 days with 40 mg/m2  followed 4 hours later by ara-C at 1 g/m2 per day)(2).However, modifications of this combination in AML therapy of relapsed/refractory patients warrant further evaluation. Therefore, our goal was to determine the efficacy and safety of clofarabine at lower dosage followed by  cytarabine (Ara-C) in adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and to evaluate the capacity of this regimen as a bridge for HSCT. Methods Patients aged 18-65 years with refractory/relapsed AML were treated at the dose of clofarabine 30 mg/mq on days 1-5 and cytarabine 1000 mg/mq gg on days 1-5. We evaluated the complete remission rate (CRR), duration of remission (DOR) and overall survival (OS). Minimal residual disease (MRD) by molecular targeting was considered in all patients. Results Twenty-five (25) patients aged 29-64 years (median 47), who were fit for allogenetic HCT,  received one cycle of 30 minutes infusion of  clofarabine 30 mg/mq, followed 4 hours later by 3 hours infusion of  intermediate dose cytarabine 1000 mg/mq  days 1-5. Only in the first three patients this schedule was followed by gentuzumab. Nine (36%) patients had refractory disease (seven after one induction regimen, one after two previous regimes, one after a prior hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT);  16 (64%) patients  were in their first (12 patients) or second relapse (4 patients); among the 12 patients in first relapse, 5 were from an allogeneic stem cell transplant.  Fourteen patients (56%)  achieved a complete remission (CR), seven (28%) was refractory and 4 (16%) died of treatment related mortality. Eleven (44%) patients  underwent (9 in CR) to allogeneic transplants or DLI infusion (3 patients refractory, and 8 patients relapsed), only one  patient underwent to autologous transplant. One patient, who was relapsed after prior HSCT, obtained a CR but he developed acute  graft vs host disease after therapy  and died in molecular CR*.  Among all patients underwent HSCT after Clofa/Ara-c salvage, six patients (50%) are still alive and in complete remission, six patients (50%) died because of  HSCT complications or AML relapse. The complete remission rate (CRR) was  (56,00 %), the median  Overall Survival  was 5 months for all patients (range 1-38 M), 11 Months for those underwent to tranplantation and 1,5 Months for non transplanted group. Treatment was complicated by neutropenic fever (n=17), grade III-IV mucositis (n=2) , skin rush  (n=4) grade II- III, hepatic transaminase elevations (n=2).  Two (n=5) patient died before their disease status could be evaluated. Conclusions These preliminary results suggest that combination treatment with clofarabine 30 mg/mq and ARA-C 1000 mg/mq is effective in this particularly poor prognosis category of patients, resulting in an ORR very favorably,  representing a potential “bridge” toward bone marrow transplant procedures (among the 14 patients who achieved a CR, twelve (85%) proceeded to HSCT, and six are still alive). The safety profile is acceptable in this relapsed/refractory population, and our results are very similar to previous regimes using higher clofarabine dosages.  More studies with this combination in adults are warranted. References 1 Estey E. Treatment of relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia. 2000;14:476-479. 2. Faderl S et al, “Results of a pase 1-2 study of clofarabine in combination with cytarabine (ara-C)”Blood 2005 Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: Background: In the ENESTnd trial, nilotinib (NIL) showed a superior efficacy to imatinib (IM) with higher response rates and less frequent progression to advanced phases (ABP). Based on these results, NIL has been approved for frontline treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The treatment-free remission (TFR) is actually considered one of the most important treatment goals in CML and a sustained deep molecular response (DMR, MR4 or better) is a pre-requisite to achieve TFR. The 5-year update from the ENESTnd trial showed a superiority of NIL over IM in terms of both MR4 and MR4.5, but differences concerning the stability of DMR have not been reported. Moreover, a significant improvement in the long-term outcome has not been demonstrated yet. Despite the efficacy, cost and safety concerns may limit the NIL use as first line treatment in CML. Independent studies are extremely relevant to confirm or to extend the results of company-sponsored trials. Aims and Methods: To assess the efficacy of NIL frontline in terms of DMR, a phase 3b study was conducted by the GIMEMA CML WP (CML0811; NCT01535391). The primary endpoint was the rate of MR4 at 24 months. Key secondary objectives: evaluation of the kinetics of molecular response, assessment of the safety profile, analysis of the outcome. The starting NIL dose was 300 mg BID, with dose escalation to 400 mg BID in case of suboptimal response or failure according to ELN 2009 criteria, with the exception of progression to ABP and in absence of safety issues or BCR-ABL mutations insensitive to NIL. The molecular response was assessed in GIMEMA standardized molecular laboratories (LabNet network) and the results were expressed according to the International Scale. The MR4 was defined as either detectable disease ≤ 0.01% BCR-ABL or undetectable disease with ≥ 10.000 ABL copies; the MR4.5 was defined as either detectable disease ≤ 0.0032% BCR-ABL or undetectable disease with ≥ 32.000 ABL copies. Sustained MR4 or MR4.5: MR4 or MR4.5 for at least 1 year a, with at least 3 evaluable analysis. Adverse events were recorded continuously. A prospective evaluation of glucose metabolism and serum lipids was planned. All the analysis were performed according to the ITT principle. Results: 130 CML patients in early chronic phase have been enrolled in 32 italian hematologic centers; median age, 50 years (range 18-85); high risk patients, 22%, 6% and 8% according to Sokal, Euro and EUTOS scores, respectively; clonal chromosomal abnormalities in Ph+ cells at baseline, 5%; e13a2 BCR-ABL transcript, 34%. The median follow-up is actually 21 months (all patients had at least 18 months observation; a minimum observation of 24 months will be reached by October 2014). Data with at least 24 months follow-up will be presented on site. At the last contact, the patients still on treatment with NIL were 110/130, 85% (74% with 600 mg, 7% with 300 mg or less, 4% with 800 mg daily), while 20/130 patients, 15%, permanently interrupted the study drug for the following reasons: 3% progression to ABP, 2% failure or suboptimal response (dose escalation not feasible), 1% allogeneic stem cell transplantation, 5% toxicity, 4% other reasons (including consent withdrawal and pregnancy). The complete cytogenetic response rate and the major molecular response rate at 12 months were 76% and 53%, respectively. The rates of MR4 at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months were 2%, 12%, 27% and 29%, respectively. Fifty-four patients achieved a MR4 at least once; the patients with a sustained MR4 were 18/54 (33%, or 14% of the total). The rates of MR4.5 at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months were 0, 3%, 10% and 13%, respectively. Only 3 patients achieved a sustained MR4.5. A significant increase of glycosylated hemoglobin was not observed. The total cholesterol, and both LDL and HDL cholesterol fractions significantly increased during treatment. Triglyceride concentrations had not significant variations. Six patients (5%) had a cardiovascular event, including myocardial infarction and arterial thrombosis. All the patients are still alive. Conclusions: The molecular response rates seem to be superior to the historical data of IM. NIL 300 mg BID as frontline treatment of BCR-ABL+ CML, with dose optimization in case of non optimal response, may improve the proportion of patients able to discontinue TKI treatment. Due to the metabolic effects, a baseline selection is crucial to maximize the therapeutic benefit and to minimize the cardiovascular risks. Disclosures Castagnetti: Pfizer: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis Farma: Consultancy, Honoraria. Gugliotta:Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Rossi:NOVARTIS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; BRISTOL MYERS-SQUIBB: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; ARIAD: Consultancy; ROCHE: Speakers Bureau. Turri:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria. Tiribelli:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Meyers and Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria. Soverini:NOVARTIS: Consultancy; BRISTOL MYERS: Consultancy; ARIAD: Consultancy. Cavo:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Millenium Pharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Onyx: Honoraria. Martinelli:Pfizer: Speakers Bureau; Bristol Myers Squibb: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Saglio:BMS: Consultancy, Fees for occasional speeches Other; Novartis: Consultancy, Fees for occasional speeches, Fees for occasional speeches Other; Pfizer: Consultancy, Fees for occasional speeches, Fees for occasional speeches Other; ARIAD: Consultancy, Fees for occasional speeches, Fees for occasional speeches Other. Baccarani:ARIAD: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Rosti:ROCHE: Speakers Bureau; ARIAD: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau.

Description: Background. The availability of multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and precise molecular monitoring has dramatically changed the prognosis in CML patients. With proper medical management, the planning of a pregnancy in both male (M) and female (F) patients is now possible. Towards this goal, the GIMEMA CML working party initiated a retrospective and prospective study to describe all male conceptions/female pregnancy outcomes in the CML Italian population from January 2013. Aims. The specific aims of this study were to analyze conceptions and pregnancies in male and female patients with regard to 3 general issues: 1) Illness issues, including CML treatment prior to conception/during/after pregnancy, transcript kinetics, the recovery of a lost response after therapy cessation, and the effects of treatment modifications (e.g., resistance, switching); 2) Conception/pregnancy issues, including planned, unplanned, spontaneous and medically assisted pregnancies (MAP), spontaneous/elective abortions, pregnancy progression, delivery, and breast feeding; and , 3) Post-natal health issues from birth to walking including speaking and academic performance. Patients and methods. Patients included in the study had to meet the following criteria A) Age 〉18 yrs; B) Confirmed CML diagnosis; C) Conception or pregnancy; D) TKI treatment before, during and/or after pregnancy; and E) Signed, IRB-approved written informed consent form. Of the 143 enrollees, data were obtained from 135 patients (83M and 52F). A total number of 166 cases were analyzable. Male conceptions were 106, and female pregnancies 60. Results 1) At time of conception 34 patients had no treatment (TF), 8 received interferon-a (IFN), and the remaining were treated with a TKI (Table 1). Considering only female patients, all stopped TKI treatment when pregnancy was discovered at 3-6 weeks (w). After placental maturation (〉20w) 13 patients were treated with IFN (10), 2 with Imatinib, and 1 with Nilotinib (N). In this latter patient N concentration was tested in maternal plasma and cord blood at delivery and showed no transfer to the baby. Kinetics of rise was calculated in a subgroup of 17 patients. Doubling time [DT = duration x log(2) /log (final ratio)-log (initial ratio)] exhibits a bimodal trend, very short for some patients (5.8 days mean, range 4.5-8.2) and much longer for others (182 days mean, range 59.2-328.4), This result does not correlate with molecular status pre TF. Furthermore 76.5% of patients will not lose Major Molecular Response during pregnancy, while in TF, that is more than expected when compared to non pregnant controls (TFR). No cases of CML progression or resistance to re-treatment were observed. CML transcript ratios during pregnancy are shown in Fig.1. 2) The majority of pregnancies were planned. MAPs were reported in 5M and 3F. Two spontaneous conceptions occurred in 2M after allogeneic transplant. Eleven abortions before 12 w (2 M ,induced; 9F, 5 induced) were reported (not included in the 166 cases). Pregnancies in all cases progressed normally. In F there were 2 pre-eclampsia, 2 oligohydramnios, 1 abruption placenta. In 8M and 8 F babies were born pre term and 1M and 2F were small at birth with no further consequences. Forty-two F (70%) delivered spontaneously. Babies were born at a mean 40 w (34-44) in M, 39 w (33-42) in F. Breast feeding information was collected for 45F of which18 (29%) breast feed for at least one month (range 1-28 mo). 3) Post-natal information showed normal child development and growth. One respiratory arrest was noted at birth with rapid recovery and 1 macrocephaly was described with no further consequences. Of the 56 children 〉3 yrs old attending school (44M,12F), 2M presented with language problems and in one case autism was diagnosed. Other reported outcomes include 1 child diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis at 2 yr (F), and 1 diagnosed with celiac disease (M). Conclusions TKI therapy has allowed CML patients to pursue a normal life including planning/managing a family. Males do not need to stop therapy to conceive due to the therapy's non-genotoxic nature, in contrast to females who must cease therapy due to the teratogenic nature of TKIs. Kinetics of regrowth of the CML residual disease during pregnancy in female patients is different than in TFR patients. To our knowledge this is the largest multicentric study regarding CML and reproduction. Results and practical management will be presented. Disclosures Abruzzese: Novartis: Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy; Ariad: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy. Castagnetti:Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria. Gambacorti-Passerini:Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy. Rambaldi:Pfizer: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Italfarmaco: Consultancy; Omeros: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Amgen Inc.: Consultancy. Gaidano:Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Morphosys: Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria.

Description: Abstract 2790 The approval of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for the first line treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) has generated a need for early molecular parameters associated with inadequate responses to Imatinib Mesylate (IM). Recent evidence suggests that CML patients presenting BCR-ABL/ABLIS levels 〉10% after 3 months of IM or 〉1% after 6 months of treatment have inferior outcomes in terms of both overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival. We wanted to establish if high BCR-ABL transcripts at diagnosis would also be associated with unfavorable responses to IM. To this end, we correlated quantitative determinations of BCR-ABL measured at diagnosis with the outcome of 230 newly diagnosed CML patients receiving IM 400 mg/die. BCR-ABL transcripts were measured from peripheral blood samples drawn at diagnosis using Real-Time Quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR). All molecular determinations were performed twice (in triplicates) on the same sample using either ABL or glucuronidase-beta (GUS) as reference genes. Median follow-up of the study population was 42 months. Estimated 5-year cumulative incidences of complete hematologic response, complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) and major molecular response were 97.9%, 89.5% and 64.7%. Five-year probabilities of OS, transformation-free survival (TFS: survival without disease transformation to the accelerated phase or blast crisis) and failure-free survival (FFS: survival without IM failure as defined by the 2009 European Leukemia Net recommendations) were 93.8%, 97.8% and 76%. Correlations between high BCR-ABL transcripts at diagnosis and unsatisfactory IM responses were much stronger using GUS in place of ABL as a reference gene. Indeed, while elevated BCR-ABL/GUSIS (p