Leukemia, a cancer of the blood, usually originates in the bone marrow and germinates a high number of anomalous white blood cells in the body. Chronic myelogenous leukemia or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a particular kind of cancer that affects the bone marrow and the blood. It originates in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow, over time extends to the blood and in the long run, metastasis to other organs of the body.

CML develops in early blood cells called the myeloid blood stem cells, become myelocytes and usually spreads slowly. In some cases, however, chronic cancer could change into acute myelogenous leukemia too. Unique to this type of cancer is its association with an abnormal chromosome known as the Philadelphia chromosome that stimulates the creation and growth of leukemia.

Care for CML involves a multidisciplinary team, a variety of healthcare professionals, including physicians, oncologists, radiologists, counselors, dietitians, and many others who can educate the patient and their families about the procedures and their expected results, their reciprocal action with other medications and adverse effects if any, on the body.

Treatment for CML includes localized radiation therapy, chemotherapy that is oral or via injections, biological therapy with drugs that stimulate the body’s immune system to fight the cancer and help control it, and/or a stem cell transplant from a healthy donor for those leukemia patients who are capable of managing the intense treatment and its possible side effects. In some cases, leukostasis, a large number of leukemia cells in the blood causes problems with its circulation in the body. In these situations, some cells are removed from the blood via leukapheresis. And, for patients affected by a recurrent CLL, kinase inhibitors are used as targeted therapy.

Treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia, like with most other cancers, is tailor-made for every patient, depending on many factors: their age, the stage of cancer they are in, their body’s ability to fight cancer, the easy access to stem cell donors with matching tissues, availability of clinical trials, and whether at all treatment is necessary.