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Summary
Leukemia is cancer of the white blood cells. White blood cells help your body fight infection. Your blood cells form in your bone marrow. In leukemia, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells. These cells crowd out the healthy blood cells, making it hard for blood to do its work. In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), there are too many granulocytes, a type of white blood cell.
Most people with CML have a gene mutation (change) called the Philadelphia chromosome.
Sometimes CML does not cause any symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may include:
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Night sweats
- Fever
- Pain or a feeling of fullness below the ribs on the left side
Tests that examine the blood and bone marrow diagnose CML. Treatments include chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, infusion of donated white blood cells following stem cell transplants, surgery to remove the spleen, and biologic and targeted therapies. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer. Targeted therapy uses drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells with less harm to normal cells.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) (National Marrow Donor Program)
- Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) - PDF
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General Information about Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
- What Is Chronic Myeloid Leukemia? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Diagnosis and Tests
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BCR ABL Genetic Test
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
- How Is Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Diagnosed? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
- Lab and Imaging Tests (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) Also in Spanish
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Stages of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
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What Are Bone Marrow Tests?
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Prevention and Risk Factors
- What Are the Risk Factors for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Blood Transfusion (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)
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Bone Marrow Transplantation: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
- Immunotherapy (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) Also in Spanish
- Integrative Medicine and Complementary and Alternative Therapies (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) Also in Spanish
- Treating Chronic Myeloid Leukemia by Phase (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
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Treatment Option Overview (Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia)
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
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Treatment Options for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
Specifics
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Atypical Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
- What Should You Ask Your Doctor about Chronic Myeloid Leukemia? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Genetics
- Do We Know What Causes Chronic Myeloid Leukemia? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
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Genetics Home Reference: chronic myeloid leukemia
(National Library of Medicine)
Statistics and Research
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Cancer Statistics: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
(National Cancer Institute)
- What's New in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Research and Treatment? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic, Atypical, BCR-ABL Negative
(National Institutes of Health)
- Types of Treatment: Clinical Trials (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- American Cancer Society
- Find a Cancer Doctor (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
-
National Cancer Institute
Also in Spanish
-
NCI Designated Cancer Centers
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- After chemotherapy - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Bone marrow transplant (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Bone marrow transplant - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish