11 June 2023, Frankfurt (Germany) – hybrid meeting:
2nd Academic CML-CAB
A cure for CML beyond TFR: is it possible?

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematological cancer that has become a chronic disease for most patients thanks to the current Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs). Around 65% of patients on TKIs achieve a deep remission of MR4. After years of MR4, patients can try Treatment Free Remission (TFR), in which no further therapy is required. About 50% of patients relapse after stopping therapy, so successful TFR is only feasible for one third of patients, all others need to be treated life-long. There are still unmet needs, either related to access to therapies and monitoring, or to the side effects burden of a life-long therapy. Hence, finding a cure for CML has become one of the strategic priorities of CML-CAB.

Within CML-CAB´s strategic efforts we want:

✓ To improve TFR rates and also go beyond TFR.
✓ A cure for everyone with eradication of the disease.
✓ To include the patient’s view on probable discontinuation of treatment, and the emotional impact
within the TFR attempt timeline, within existing scientific research.
✓ To improve patient care and experience through the TFR attempt timeline.

The 1st Academic CML-CAB was held in October 2020 in a virtual format. For details on this meeting and to access the Executive Summary, please click here.

For this 2nd Academic CML-CAB meeting we are bringing together world-leading patient advocates, researchers, and clinicians to jointly explore the barriers and opportunities of research towards new pathways to cure CML. The global patient community will get to expose their current needs and the scientific community will show their current advances. This meeting may be the building block to initiate a “Research Network for CML cure” to help create a joint strategy and milestones to coordinate and fund research towards a CML cure. The hybrid meeting will further encourage new research collaborations, patient involvement in cutting edge science, and a cooperation platform between the patient and scientific CML community.

What we want to find out from researchers is:

✓ What is their approach and contribution towards CML cure beyond TFR?
✓ Do they understand the needs and expectations of patients?
✓ Are they working with patients? If not, what limits them from doing so?
✓ How can the patient community contribute with their work?

The 2nd Academic CML-CAB will be held as a panel meeting, starting with a patients’ panel discussion which will be followed by a researchers’ panel discussion. Following these two separate panel discussions, there will be a joint panel discussion that will include all panelists. 

A non-confidential executive summary of the meeting will be made available on this website following the event.