In a prospective analysis of pts discontinuing their TKI, the 1‐year relapse‐free survival was 30.1% for patients with > 95 CD86+pDC per 105 lymphocytes (plasmacytoid dendritic cells), but 70.0% for patients with < 95 CD86+pDC. High CD86+pDC counts significantly correlated with leukemia‐specific CD8+ T‐cell exhaustion. CD86 is the T‐cell inhibitory receptor (CTLA‐4) ligand. This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and leukemia.