Asciminib May Offer Longer, Better Life in Frontline CML Care

The 144-week analysis of findings from the phase 3 ASC4FIRST trial (NCT04971226) presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting showed that asciminib (Scemblix) produced better molecular responses and tolerability vs other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) like imatinib (Gleevec). The updated findings supported asciminib as a frontline treatment option for those with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP).

In a conversation with CancerNetwork^®, presenting study investigator Jorge E. Cortes, MD, discussed how these findings may influence the CML paradigm. As physicians in the field continue to strive for not just longer but better lives for their patients, asciminib may stand as the “treatment of choice” for offering improved quality of life and a higher possibility of eventually discontinuing treatment.

Cortes is chief of hematology at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and deputy director of O’Neal Cancer Center at UAB.

Transcript:

CancerNetwork: Do these data cement STAMP inhibition as the definitive frontline standard of care for newly diagnosed CML-CP? How might these results translate into successful treatment-free remission attempts?

Cortes: [The study] cements the high expectations that we had for asciminib as frontline therapy, and it shows that, indeed, it is meeting those expectations. We are very fortunate to have many good treatment options. There are patients who will continue using imatinib or some of the other second-generation TKIs for a variety of reasons. It is good to know that we have good options, but with these data, asciminib is the treatment of choice for a large percentage of patients who are aiming for better quality of life and…a better probability of treatment discontinuation, which is increasingly a goal of therapy for many of our patients.

What do you ultimately hope colleagues take away from these updated findings, particularly as they relate to the evolving role of targeted therapy in CML management?

The takeaway message is that we shouldn't be complacent with the fact that we have good outcomes with imatinib. [A]s I said, it's a very good therapy, but we are not done with our aims to improve the treatment until we work on a much higher rate of treatment discontinuation [and] on improving the quality of life of the patients. These are goals that have become the most important ones; it's no longer just about survival. Yes, we have a near normal life expectancy for the patients, but patients also want to live better, not just live more. We need to continue looking for better ways to help the patients live a longer—but also a better—life.

Reference

Cortes JE, Hochhaus A, Takahashi N, et al. ASC4FIRST wk 144 analysis: efficacy and safety and tolerability with asciminib (ASC) vs investigator-selected tyrosine kinase inhibitors (IS TKIs) in newly diagnosed (ND) chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP). J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(suppl 16):6583. doi:10.1200/JCO.2026.44.16_suppl.6583