Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a rare, non-hereditary type of blood cancer that develops due to a change in blood cell genes, making them divide faster than normal cells.
Treatment may be done with medications, a bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy, or biological therapies, depending on the severity of the problem or the person being treated.
- The chances of recovery are usually quite high.
- But may vary depending on the degree of development of the disease.
- As well as the age and overall health of the affected person.
- Treatment with the best cure rate is usually a bone marrow transplant.
- But many people may not even need this treatment.
Signs and symptoms that may occur in people with acute myeloid leukemia include:
This disease does not immediately reveal obvious signs and symptoms at an early stage and that is why it is possible to live with this disease for months or even years without the person noticing.
Human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, which contain DNA with genes involved in controlling the body’s cells. In people with chronic myeloid leukemia, in blood cells, a section of chromosome 9 changes places with chromosome 22, creating a very short chromosome 22., called the Philadelphia chromosome and a very long chromosome 9.
This Philadelphia chromosome then creates a new gene, and the genes on chromosomes 9 and 22 create a new gene called BCR-ABL, which contains instructions telling this new abnormal cell to produce a large amount of a protein called tyrosine kinase, which leads to cancer formation by allowing several blood cells to develop uncontrolled , damaging the bone marrow.
Factors that may increase your risk of developing chronic myeloid leukemia include being elderly, being a man, and being exposed to radiation, such as radiation therapy used to treat certain types of cancer.
Generally, when this disease is suspected, or when or when certain characteristic symptoms appear, a diagnosis is made consisting of a physical examination, such as a vital signs and blood pressure test, palpation of the lymph nodes, spleen and abdomen, in some way to detect a possible abnormality.
In addition, it is also normal for your doctor to prescribe blood tests, a biopsy of a bone marrow sample, which is usually taken from the hip bone, and more specialized tests, such as in situ fluorescent hybridization testing and the polymer chain reaction test, which tests blood or bone marrow samples for the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome or BCR-ABL gene.
The goal of treating this disease is to remove the blood cells that contain the abnormal gene, which causes the production of a large number of abnormal blood cells.For some people, it is not possible to remove all sick cells, but treatment can aid in remission.disease.
Drugs that block the action of tyrosine kinase, such as imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, bosutinib, or ponatinib, can be used and are usually the initial treatment for people with this disease.
Side effects that can cause these medications include skin swelling, nausea, muscle cramps, fatigue, diarrhea and skin reactions.
Bone marrow transplantation is the only form of treatment that ensures a permanent cure for chronic myeloid leukemia, however, this method is only used in people who do not respond to other treatments because this technique is risky and can lead to serious complications.
Chemotherapy is also a widely used treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia and side effects depend on the type of medication used in treatment.Learn about the different types of chemotherapy and how it’s done.
Biological therapies use the body’s immune system to help fight cancer by using a protein called interferon, which helps reduce tumor cell growth. This technique can be used in cases where other treatments don’t work or in people who can’t take other medications, such as women, for example.
The most common side effects of this treatment are fatigue, fever, flu-like symptoms and weight loss.