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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffChronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) can cause a variety of complications, including:
- Fatigue. If diseased white blood cells crowd out healthy red blood cells, anemia may result. Anemia can make you feel tired and worn down. Treatment for CML can also cause a drop in red blood cells.
- Excess bleeding. Blood cells called platelets help control bleeding by prompting your blood to clot. A shortage of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) can result in easy bleeding and bruising, including frequent or severe nosebleeds, bleeding from the gums, or tiny red marks caused by bleeding into the skin (petechiae).
- Pain. CML can cause bone pain or joint pain as the bone marrow expands when excess white blood cells build up.
- Enlarged spleen. Some of the extra blood cells produced when you have CML are stored in the spleen. This can cause the spleen to become swollen or enlarged. Rarely, the spleen becomes so large that it's at risk of bursting. More commonly, the swollen spleen takes up space in your abdomen and makes you feel full even after small meals or causes pain on the left side of your body below your ribs.
- Stroke or excess clotting. Some people with CML produce too many platelets. Without treatment, this high platelet count (thrombocytosis) can cause excessive clotting of your blood, which can lead to stroke.
- Infection. White blood cells help the body fight off infection. Although people with CML have too many white blood cells, these cells are often diseased and don't function properly. As a result, they aren't able to fight infection as well as healthy white cells can. In addition, treatment can cause your white cell count to drop too low (neutropenia), also making you vulnerable to infection.
- Death. If CML can't be successfully treated, it ultimately is fatal.
References
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Fort Washington, Pa.: National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/cml.pdf. Accessed Sept. 11, 2008.
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia treatment (PDQ) patient version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/CML/patient/allpages/patient. Accessed Sept. 11, 2008.
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia and related disorders: An overview. In: Lichtman MA, et al. Williams Hematology. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2148618. Accessed Sept. 11, 2008.
- Leukemia - chronic myeloid - CML. Cancer.Net. http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Leukemia+-+Chronic+Myeloid+-+CML. Accessed Sept. 17, 2008.
- Integrative medicine and complementary and alternative therapies as part of blood cancer care. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1150734030.pdf. Accessed Sept. 17, 2008.
- Questions about treatment. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/graphics/National/Allquestionsworksheets/QuestionsabouttreatmentPS172R.pdf. Accessed Sept. 16, 2008.
- Kantarjian H, et al. Chronic myeloid leukemia. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008:2279-2291.
- SEER stat fact sheets - chronic myeloid leukemia. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/cmyl.html. Accessed Sept. 19, 2008.
- Tasignia (prescribing information). East Hanover, N.J.: Novartis; 2007.
- Gleevec (prescribing information). East Hanover, N.J.: Novartis; 2007.
- Sprycel (prescribing information). Princeton, N.J.: Bristol-Myers Squibb; 2007.
