What are the characteristics and treatment options for chronic phase CML?
Chronic phase CML is the earliest and least aggressive stage of the disease. Most people with CML are diagnosed during this phase—more than 19 out of 20 people.
Key Characteristics:
* Less than 10 percent of blood or bone marrow cells are blasts Show Full Answer
What are the characteristics and treatment options for chronic phase CML?
Chronic phase CML is the earliest and least aggressive stage of the disease. Most people with CML are diagnosed during this phase—more than 19 out of 20 people.
Key Characteristics:
* Less than 10 percent of blood or bone marrow cells are blasts (immature white blood cells)
* Symptoms may be mild or even absent
* When symptoms occur, they typically include tiredness, weight loss, abdominal pain, or swelling
* Blood cell counts usually return to normal with treatment
Treatment Approach:
The main treatment for chronic phase CML is tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which are targeted therapy medications taken daily as tablets or capsules at home. These drugs block the BCR-ABL protein that causes leukemia cells to grow.
Available TKI medications include:
* Imatinib (Gleevec)
* Nilotinib (Tasigna)
* Dasatinib (Sprycel)
* Bosutinib (Bosulif)
* Ponatinib (Iclusig)
* Asciminib (Scemblix)
Treatment Goals:
* Relieve symptoms
* Eliminate leukemia cells
* Prevent progression to blast phase
TKIs are highly effective at controlling chronic phase CML. Most people take them for life to keep the leukemia from returning. If one TKI doesn't work well or causes severe side effects, your doctor may adjust the dose or switch to a different TKI.
If TKIs aren't effective, other options include chemotherapy, interferon treatments, or stem cell transplant for younger individuals.
February 6
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