Those questions point to research that is still needed, Nieva says. This includes the role of deintensifying imaging and whether MRD testing could substitute for radiographic assessments, particularly for young patients who may be a decade or more into TKI therapy.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Nieva describes a broader movement across TKI research to determine how chemotherapy and radiation therapy should be used to eradicate residual disease after initial induction treatment. The aim is the longest possible remissions, which Nieva says will likely involve some strategy of intensification, such as added chemotherapy or consolidative radiotherapy. “Time will tell” which approach is best.<\/p>\n
Whatever the strategy, the overarching goal is for patients to stay on tolerable oral agents for years and decades. Nieva says maximizing that duration will be very important, which is why early management of treatment-related toxicity, including gastrointestinal effects, matters for keeping patients on therapy.<\/p>\n