Sustained Molecular Response With Interferon Alfa Maintenance After Induction Therapy With Imatinib Plus Interferon Alfa in Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract

Treatment with IFN enables discontinuation of imatinib in most patients after prior imatinib/IFN combination therapy and may result in improved molecular response. Induction of a proteinase-3-specific CTL response by IFN may contribute to this effect.