Research into CML

Researchers around the world are looking at improving the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).

Go to Cancer Research UK’s clinical trials database if you are looking for a trial for CML in the UK. You need to talk to your specialist if there are any trials that you think you might be able to take part in.

Some of the trials on this page have now stopped recruiting people. It takes time before the results are available. This is because the trial team follow the patients for a period of time and collect and analyse the results. We have included this ongoing research to give examples of the type of research being carried out in CML.

Research and clinical trials

All cancer treatments must be fully researched before they can be used for everyone. This is so we can be sure that:

• they work

• they work better than the treatments already available

• they are safe

To make sure the research is accurate, each trial has certain entry conditions for who can take part. These are different for each trial.

Hospitals do not take part in every clinical trial. Some trials are only done in a small number of hospitals, or in one area of the country. You may need to travel quite far if you take part in these trials. 

Treatment

The main treatment for CML is a group of targeted cancer drug called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

Targeted cancer drugs

Doctors currently use imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib, bosutinib and ponatinib to treat CML. Researchers continue to look into these drugs to improve treatment results.

Trials are looking at:

• trying new TKIs such as asciminib and vodobatinib
• finding out if one of the TKIs is better than the others as a first treatment for CML
• trying these TKIs in children and young adults
• learning more about the dose and side effects
• finding out more about having a treatment break

T-cell therapy

Researchers are looking at new types of treatment that use cells in your immune system called T-cells.

In these treatments, researchers take some T cells from your blood and modify them in the laboratory. They then give you back the modified T cells which attack the leukaemia cells.

Quality of life

Having a blood cancer can cause symptoms, and the treatment can have side effects. These symptoms and side effects can affect your quality of life.

Researchers want to find out how symptoms and  treatment affect quality of life for people with blood cancers. They want to create a new questionnaire about this for people with blood cancers.