iCMLf Expert Opinions

This section provides you with a selection of expert opinions from leaders in the field. 

You will find interviews with CML experts providing their personal perspectives on highlights from scientific meetings and latest scientific advancements as well as keynote presentations from iCMLf prize winners. The topics featured cover a broad range of issues from CML science to clinical practice.  

ICMLf Genomics Alliance -
Goals and accomplishments through a global collaboration

Professor Susan Branford
Centre for Cancer Biology & SA Pathology, Adelaide, Australia

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Keynote presentations from the recipients of the 2022 iCMLf Prizes

The 2022 iCMLf prize winners have been awarded their prizes during the 24th John Goldman Conference on CML in Mandelieu (France).  After the award ceremony, they shared insights into their scientific and clinical work for CML over the past years during keynote presentations. You can view recordings of the Rowley Prize, the Goldman Prize and the iCMLf Prize keynote presentations here.

2022 Rowley Prize: Professor Oliver Hantschel 2022 Goldman Prize: Professor Andreas Hochhaus 2022 iCMLf Prize: Giora Sharf / Jan Geissler

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Keynote presentations from the recipients of the 2021 iCMLf Prizes

The 2021 iCMLf prize winners have been awarded their prizes during the 23nd John Goldman E-Conference on CML.  After the award ceremony, they shared insights into their scientific and clinical work for CML over the past years during keynote presentations. You can view recordings of the Rowley Prize, the Goldman Prize and the iCMLf Prize keynote presentations here.

2021 Rowley Prize: Professor Susan Branford 2021 Goldman Prize: Professor Giuseppe Saglio 2021 iCMLf Prize: Dr Damira Bayzakova

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Keynote presentations from the recipients of the 2020 iCMLf Prizes

At the 22nd John Goldman E-Conference on CML the 2020 iCMLf prize winners have been awarded their prizes. During keynote presentations the prize recipients shared personal perspectives on their scientific and clinical work for CML over the past years. You can view web streams of the Rowley Prize, the Goldman Prize and the iCMLf Prize keynote presentations here.

2020 Rowley Prize: Professor Ravi Bhatia 2020 Goldman Prize: Professor Jane Apperley 2020 iCMLf Prize: Dr Sabira Kurtovic

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Keynote presentations from the recipients of the 2019 iCMLf Prizes

At the 21th Annual John Goldman Conference on CML in Bordeaux the iCMLf Directors awarded the Foundation’s 2019 prize medals. This was followed by keynote presentations from the three prize winners. You can view web streams of the Rowley Prize and the iCMLf Prize keynote presentations here. Unfortunately François-Xavier Mahon's presentation on 'Curing CML: To be, or not to be, that is the question' (Goldman Prize) is not available as a web stream.

2019 Rowley Prize: Professor Michael Deininger 2019 Goldman Prize: Professor François-Xavier Mahon 2019 iCMLf Prize: Dr Carolina Pavlovsky

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Highlights from the John Goldman Conference on CML 2019:
CML experts give their personal perspectives

Perspectives on the clinical aspects of the meeting from Professor Jorge Cortes
Georgia Cancer Center
Augusta University, Augusta (USA)

• Treatment-free remission as a new goal for patients with CML
  • Long-term follow-up data from the STIM study
  • Treatment strategies for patients with early and late relapse 
  • Biomarkers to predict a higher probability of relapse
  • Pharmacoeconomics of treatment discontinuation
• Complex genetics of CML - the work of the Genomics Alliance
• Clinical trial updates
  • SPIRIT trial
  • BEYOND study
  • Asciminib combinations
• Fatigue during TKI therapy

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Perspectives on the scientific aspects of the meeting from Professor Daniela Krause
Georg-Speyer Haus
University of Frankfurt (Germany) 

• Concept of treatment-free remission
  • Immunological surveillance after treatment discontinuation
  • Analysis of different immune subsets 
  • A mathematical model for prediction of good response
• Results from the workshop on metabolism 
• The role of inflammation in CML
• Aging - mutations that occur with aging
• Therapy resistance
• Stem cells and microenvironment
• Existence of BCR-ABL independent mutations
• Immunotherapy - resistance to CAR-T cells

 We apologize for the background noise in this video.

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Highlights from ASH 2018 Annual Meeting:

At ASH in San Diego, the CML education session was entitled 'With Great Success Comes Great Responsibility'. Professors Jane Apperley, Timothy Hughes and Charles Craddock gave respective presentations on the treatment of CML with TKIs, molecular monitoring to aid clinical decision making and the role of transplantation in managing CML. Below are interviews from the presenters on their perspectives on the session. 

These summaries are brought to you with support from Bristol Myers Squibb.

In addition, we are pleased to be able to offer you a complete scientific summary of the education session on CML. This also contains a summary of relevant abstracts on; TFR failure, resistance and new drug development.

Download the scientific summary report here

Summaries of the ASH CML Education Session

The Argument for Using Imatinib in CML

Professor Jane Apperley
Imperial College London, London, UK

Jane Apperley described the outcome of newly diagnosed patients newly treated with first or second generation TKIs. She discussed balancing the desire to achieve the deep molecular responses that permit trials of TKI discontinuation with the potential adverse effects of earlier use of the more potent TKI's, and provided pragmatic advice regarding treatment decisions.  

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Importance of Molecular Monitoring in CML: How Deep, How Often, and How Should it Influence Therapy?

Professor Timothy Hughes
Cancer Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia

Tim Hughes explored the appropriate time-dependent molecular targets for CML patients on TKI and the reasons why those targets differ, especially when considering treatment discontination. He also discussed the facts that influence the choice of TKI when molecular responses are not optimal and highlighted the critical role of molecular monitoring in managaging treatment-free remission.   

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We Do Still Transplant CML, Don't We?

Professor Charles Craddock
Centre for Clinical Haematology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK

Charles Craddock summarised the results of alloSCT in all phases of CML and discussed factors affecting decision-making now that increased donor availability and reduced intensity conditioning regimes have increased the number of transplant eligible patients. As disease relapse remains a major cause of treatment failure he focused on emerging peri- and post-transplant strategies to improve the outcome.   

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Highlights from the John Goldman Conference on CML 2018:
CML experts give their personal perspectives

In Spanish:
Perspectivas sobre los estudios de discontinuación de terapia que se mostraron
Dr Carolina Pavlovsky
FUNDALEU - Fundación para combatir la leucemia
Buenos Aires - Argentina

• Resumen de los estudios de discontinuacíon de terapia más importantes, que incluyen
  • ENESTFreedom
  • ENESTStop
  • DASFree
• Análisis de los estudios actuales sobre biomarcadores y otros factores predictivos que pueden predecir el éxito terapéutico y que pueden mostrar qué mutaciones pueden ser relevantes en pacientes resistentes

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Perspectives on the clinical aspects of the meeting from Professor Jorge Cortes
MD Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas, Houston (USA)

• Update on new studies including TIGER and SPIRIT II 
• Long-term outcomes from clinical studies on treatment-discontinuation
• Various aspects on treatment-free-remission such as predictors of success, biomarkers, gene analysis, use of digital PCR, pregnancy
• New modalities and tools of monitoring patients 
• Biology of CML and the role of microenvironment and molecular abnormalities

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Perspectives on the scientific aspects of the meeting from Professor Daniela Krause
Georg-Speyer Haus
University of Frankfurt (Germany) 

• Scientific workshops on imaging and genome editing
• Novel strategies with new pathways complementing existing TKI therapies
• Skeleton muscle toxicities induced by TKI's
• Possible relationship between dopamin receptors and leukemic stem cell receptors
• Debate on eradicating remaining stem cells
• Innovative new technologies for monitoring

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Highlights from the John Goldman Conference on CML 2017:
CML experts give their personal perspectives

In Spanish:
Perspectivas sobre nuevas estudios clínicos y cómo se transfieren al mundo real - especialmente en países en vía de desarollo
Dr Carolina Pavlovsky
FUNDALEU - Fundación para combatir la leucemia
Buenos Aires - Argentina

• Actualización del estudio CML-IV: Seguridad y eficacia de imatinib durante 10 años
• Actualización del estudio PACE: Uso de ponatinib en segunda y tercera línea
• Varios estudios clínicos del discontinuación del tratamiento y qué aspectos deberían considerarse en la aplicación práctica
• Tratamiento de la población pediátrica y el uso de nuevas tecnologías para el monitoreo molecular

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Highlights from the John Goldman Conference on CML 2017:
CML experts give their personal perspectives

Perspectives on biology and clinical aspects 
from Professor Jorge Cortes
MD Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas, Houston (USA)

• Leukemic stem cells and microenvironment
• Biomarkers 
• Conceptual understanding of treatment-free remission 
• Treatment discontinuation with 2nd generation TKI's
• Update on the new ELN recommendations
• Patient-reported outcomes
• New modalities of monitoring patients
• Long-term outcomes from various clinical studies

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