Experts emphasize appropriate management and adherence to treatment for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

As the world observed World Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Day recently, leading medical experts emphasized the need of creating awareness aboutthe condition, a relatively uncommon type of bone marrow and blood cancer.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) occurs with an incidence rate of 0.4 to 3.9 per 100,000 patients, which increases with age and has a slight male preponderance. It is a chronic disease in which patients must take lifelong treatment and hence, experts stress its appropriate management and adherence to treatment.

CML occurs due to spontaneous chromosome mutation which causes diseased white blood cells to build up in huge numbers, crowding out healthy blood cells and damaging the bone marrow.

Dr. Ankit Jitani - Hematologist, Hemato-Oncologist, and BMT Physician, Ahmedabad says, “CML is caused by secondary passenger mutations in the stem cells. The most common way that patients present symptoms of CML is leukocytosis or have respiratory discomfort and hence go to a cardiologist, or have gastric discomfort, and then visit a gastroenterologist who then refers the patients to us. However, post COVID-19 awareness of CML has increased amongst all patients, they are now actively doing blood tests and measuring CBC.”

He further stated that “For CML, regular monitoring and adherence to treatment are essential. We are actively working more toward treatment-free-remission. Regular monitoring and adherence to treatment if done actively, only then the patient is a suitable candidate for treatment-free-remission. A lack of adherence to treatment protocols can make the condition severe.

Therefore, it is recommended that patients continue to take medication as prescribed by their healthcare professional. CML management and treatment require a lot of patience and discipline. It is a great thing that cancer gets cured with a drug, hence regular check-ups, and sticking to your schedule with your doctor is important.”

Dr. Abhishek Dudhatra, Haematology Consultant & BMT Specialist, HCG Oncology, Ahmedabad mentions, “Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the initial treatment of choice for CML, and more than two-thirds of patients achieve long-term control of the disease with this.

Regular monitoring of the condition is equally critical as it enables the physician to prescribe the appropriate dose and hence, keep the condition under control. Monitoring is done through a blood test, primarily to check the quantification of BCR-ABL transcript in the blood. When the condition is initially diagnosed, monitoring is recommended to be done every 3 months and later, the frequency can be 6 months. While these are the recommended periods, the frequency of monitoring also depends on individual cases. One should adhere to what is suggested by the physician.”

While CML is caused by a genetic mutation in the stem cells, its exact cause is not known. The condition is not hereditary and cannot be passed on to future generations.