CML is a serious, chronic disorder of blood formation (blood cancer). Thanks to modern therapies Chronic Myeloid leukemia Blood Cancer Symptoms good quality with life is nevertheless possible.
Good quality of life is nevertheless possible. In chronic myeloid leukemia, the proliferation of white blood cells (leukocytes) that serve the defines is out of control. In most cases, a gene defect in the chromosomes with an exchange of fragments between the chromosome 9 and 22 is the cause. This defect causes the BCR-ABL fusion gene on chromosome 22, which produces the ABL tyrosine kinase, a protein responsible for blood cancer. Defective chromosome 22 is called the Philadelphia chromosome, after the site of its first discovery in the 1960's. For a long time, this defect usually causes little or no symptoms until the disease progresses and can become life-threatening.
Frequently, chronic myeloid leukemia is discovered by chance during a blood test. Other differentiated blood tests and molecular genetic tests confirm the diagnosis. If therapy is initiated early, the disease cannot be cured but can be controlled for many years, allowing patients to live a normal life.
New drugs that inhibit tyrosine kinase have greatly improved the prognosis of CML in recent years. Recent and ongoing clinical trials indicate that these tyrosine kinase inhibitors may even have the potential to keep CML in check so well that they can eventually be discontinued. So far, stem cell transplantation/bone marrow transplantation has been the only way to cure, but it is risky and distressing for the patient and therefore in many cases out of the question.
Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia CML- What is it?
Leukemias are diseases of blood formation in the bone marrow. All types of leukemias have a disruption of the hematopoietic stem cell ('' mother cell '' of all blood cells).
This disorder leads to the increased and uncontrolled formation of immature and thus inoperable white blood cells (leukocytes) in the bone marrow. Consequence: The formation of the other blood cells in the bone marrow is suppressed, which means that there are no longer enough normal white blood cells (leukocytes), red blood cells (erythrocytes) and platelets (thrombocytes).
Chronic myeloid leukemia is abbreviated CML. By mostly unknown trigger occurs in the blood-forming stem cell in the bone marrow to a change in the genes in the chromosomes. In CML, this disorder mainly affects the myeloid cell line, which means that the disease is mainly due to a proliferation of granulocytes, a subspecies of white blood cells (see picture). The disease may go unnoticed for a long time until suspicion appears in a routine blood test. Later, the proliferation of poorly functioning white blood cells and their precursors increases so much that normal blood formation and vital functions such as infection defines, oxygen transport (red blood cells) and hemostasis (platelets) are impaired.
Frequency and Age Distribution
CML is a relatively rare, life-threatening disease that was difficult to treat until a few years ago. 1-2 out of 100,000 people are affected. Of all leukemia, CML is the second most common form of leukemia, accounting for 15-20%. The mean age at diagnosis is approximately 55 years. At a younger age, the disease is rare; the proportion of those under the age of 20 is only 10%. Men are affected about one and a half times as often as women.
Below is more important information about the cause, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of CML. You will learn how you can optimally support the treatment yourself and how important the aftercare is. In the forum, you have the opportunity to interact with other readers.
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