Imatinib (IM) treatment has been the standard of care for chronic phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and approximately 50% of CP CML patients who received IM treatment achieve complete molecular response (CMR) at 6-7 years.(Hochhaus A et al. Leukemia 2009;23:1054-1061, Hughes et al. Blood 2008;112:334) The recent data from a study aimed to assess whether IM can be discontinued in patients with a CMR lasting at least 2 years showed the probability of persistent CMR at 12 months was 41%, and suggested IM can be safely discontinued, at least in some patients with sustained CMR. (Mahon et al. Lancet Oncol 2010;11:1029-1035) However, to define whether discontinuation of IM treatment can be safely employed, further validation and much longer follow-up are needed.