Randomized Study Comparing the Effect of Dasatinib and Imatinib on Malignant Stem Cells in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

A randomized multi-center study comparing the effect of dasatinib and imatinib on malignant stem cells in newly diagnosed chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. The research hypothesis is that treatment with dasatinib 100 mg daily (QD) results in greater and more rapid depletion of the Philadelphia (Ph) -positive stem cell pool within 6 months of therapy than imatinib 400 mg QD in newly diagnosed CML patients. The study duration is 18 months and approximately 40 patients will be recruited to the study.