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Schematic diagram of predicted CML patient responses to discontinuation of imatinib, which has reduced the average number of LSCs (CML stem cells, red) to 1. Using an unrealistic deterministic model, all patients would be predicted to eventually relapse as the LSCs repopulate (bottom row). Stochastic models take into account that even very similar patients may respond differently to treatment, for example, the 8 patient responses shown. Two patients had already been made disease-free by the previous imatinib; 1 other had both LSCs die out due to stochastic fluctuations. Three of the remaining 5 patients are much worse off than the deterministic calculation would indicate, despite starting with the same LSC number as in the deterministic model. See the article by Radivoyevitch et al on page 4363.