Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Chronic myelogenous leukemia, or chronic myeloid leukemia, is an extremely rare type of cancer that affects the blood cells. In this condition, the bone marrow produces an abundance of abnormal white blood cells. Unlike other forms of leukemia, this type of cancer advances more slowly and gradually gets worse over a long period of time. Adults are most commonly diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, although it can affect children in rare cases.

Prevalence

According to the American Cancer Society, 10-15 percent of all leukemia's are diagnosed as chronic myelogenous leukemia. For the typical person, there is a 1 in 625 chance that they will develop chronic myelogenous leukemia at some point during their lifetime. The typical age of onset for this disease is around 65, and as of 2010, it is estimated that more than 4,870 people will receive a diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia. This disease is slightly more common in men than women and is more likely to affect whites in comparison to African-Americans.

Symptoms

The symptoms of chronic myelogenous leukemia often mimic the common symptoms of cancer in general. These symptoms include rapid weight loss, fever, loss of appetite, paleness, night sweats, constantly feeling drained of energy, bleeding easily and pain or pressure on the left side of the ribs. Since these symptoms are very common to other forms of cancer, they are very hard to detect and often do not become noticeable until the disease has progressed to the most advanced stage.

Phases

Doctors place chronic myelogenous leukemia into three phases and these classifications are made on how advanced the disease has progressed once a diagnosis has been made. The first stage of this disease is the chronic phase and the majority of people are diagnosed once their cancer has reached this stage. Symptoms are relatively mild during this stage and often go unnoticed by the patient

The second stage is the accelerated phase and it is during this time when symptoms of the disease become the most noticeable. Weight loss, fevers and lack of appetite are the most common symptoms during this stage as the disease begins to progress more rapidly.

The blast phase is the third and final stage of this disease and it is the most advanced form of chronic myelogenous leukemia. Bleeding, infection and stomach pain are the most common symptoms once the disease has progressed to this stage. It is possible for the cancer to have spread to other organs during this phase and progresses rapidly if left untreated.

Diagnosis

If a person presents with some of the symptoms of chronic myelogenous leukemia, a doctor will conduct blood tests and take samples of bone marrow. Blood tests are used to check for an extremely high white blood cell count and a physician may also conduct a physical exam in which they will feel a person's lymph nodes and check their abdomen area for any abnormalities.