Nilotinib 300 mg BID in Newly Diagnosed CP-CML Patients to Verify Disappearance of CD34+/Lin-Ph+ Cells

This study is designed to establish the disappearance of Ph+ stem cells (CD34+/lin-) in BM during nilotinib treatment. The primary efficacy endpoint is to measure the rate of CD34+/lin-Ph+ cells in the BM after 6 months of treatment. In order to obtain this result, BM blood of all enrolled patients will be stored after 6 months of treatment with nilotinib. The isolated CD34+/lin- cells will be employed for standard FISH analysis. These endpoints will be obtained at the central laboratory of Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, Milano, Italy. Secondary endpoints will be reached performing: * the same analyzes on CD34+/lin- cells at diagnosis, at 3 and 12 months of treatment; * cytogenetic analysis to estimate the rate of CCyR at 3, 6 and 12 months; this analysis will be performed at each local laboratory; * molecular analysis to determinate the rate of MR (≤ 10%, ≤ 1%, MMR, MR4,5 IS) at 3, 6 and 12 months in the peripheral blood; the molecular analysis will be performed using the Labnet standardized laboratories in Lombardy.