5. Patients in late chronic phase (i.e., time from diagnosis to treatment >12 months), accelerated or blast phase are excluded. The definitions of CML phases are as follows: a.Early chronic phase: time from diagnosis to therapy 12 months. Late chronic phase: time from diagnosis to therapy > 12 months. b. Blastic phase: presence of 30% blasts or more in the peripheral blood or bone marrow. c.Accelerated phase CML: presence of any of the following features: • Peripheral or marrow blasts 15% or more • Peripheral or marrow basophils 20% or more • Thrombocytopenia < 100 x 109/L unrelated to therapy • Documented extramedullary blastic disease outside liver or spleen