Therefore, we suggest that variants of the ATIC and ARID5B genes may interfere with imatinib response in patients with CML, once, even though these genes do not interact directly with the drug, they act in the cellular environment supporting the survival of cancer cells, thus, impairing the effect of the treatment. This evidence concerns the gene ARID5B and chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive.