Expression of TIGIT in NK Cells in Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is also known as chronic myelogenous leukemia. It's a type of cancer that starts in certain blood-forming cells of the bone marrow.

In CML, a genetic change takes place in an early (immature) version of myeloid cells that make red blood cells, platelets, and most types of white blood cells (except lymphocytes). This change forms an abnormal gene called BCR-ABL, which turns the cell into a CML cell. The leukemia cells grow and divide, building up in the bone marrow and spilling over into the blood. In time, the cells can also settle in other parts of the body, including the spleen. CML is a fairly slow growing leukemia, but it can change into a fast-growing acute leukemia that's hard to treat.

CML occurs mostly in adults, but very rarely it occurs in children, too. In general, their treatment is the same as for adults.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by the expression of the BCR/ABL1 fusion gene and the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph). The product of this fusion gene is a protein with deregulated tyrosine kinase activity, resulting in a malignant clonal disorder of the hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow (BM) and the accumulation of immature myeloid cells in peripheral blood (PB).

The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) leads to a complete remission rate reaching 83%; however, mutation in the ABL kinase domain results in certain treatment failure. Furthermore, long-lasting side effects of treatment and the cost of TKIs remain a problem Therefore, the development of new TKI agents and combination therapies is urgently needed for CML patients .