ABSTRACT
Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting BCR-ABL1 has significantly improved the survival and prognosis of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, long-term treatment with TKI has caused many problems like adverse drug reactions, decreasing the quality of patients' life and increasing financial burden. Therefore, whether CML patients can successfully stop taking TKI after reaching a certain therapeutic standard has become a matter of concern. At present, treatment-free remission (TFR) has already become a new target for CML therapy. Several clinical trials have confirmed the feasibility and safety of TFR in specific patient populations, and TFR is now incorporated into clinical guidelines. This paper reviews the main reasons for CML patients' pursuit of TFR and the possible mechanisms of TFR.