Leukemia

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a chronic leukemia associated with a specific genetic abnormality in the leukemia cell called the Philadelphia chromosome, T9 or 22. This abnormal gene is produced when genetic material called ABL is displaced from chromosome 9 and then replaces the normal part of chromosome 22 next to a region called BCR. The resulting fusion gene BCRABL causes abnormal function of the ABL gene, which leads to the leukemia.

Most patients with CML initially visit their doctor because of:

• Fatigue
• Low-grade fevers or sweats
• Fullness in the abdomen caused by an enlarged spleen

There are three main phases of CML:

• The disease almost always starts in the chronic phase, during which the disease is usually easy to control with treatment, and patients can lead nearly normal lives.

• Without a transplant, the disease inevitably progresses over a small number of years into the accelerated phase. When this happens, the blood counts worsen and patients can experience high fever, bone pain and painful enlargement of the spleen.

• The blast phase of CML is a form of acute leukemia that is very difficult to treat.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007