Chronic Myeloid Leukemia is a rare type and slow-progressing blood cancer that starts from the bone marrow and spreads to other parts of the body. It is mostly seen to occur in elderly adults. In the early stages, the symptoms aren’t so prominent. Therefore, in most cases, it is diagnosed at the later stages. As the disease progresses, the cancer cells grow and divide, thus increasing in the bone marrow and traveling through other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Although it is a slow-growing disease, the condition can transform into a rapidly-growing acute leukemia case that is extremely hard to treat.
Causes of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia The condition is developed as a result of the translocation of genetic material between chromosome 9 and chromosome 22. Thus, an abnormal fusion gene named BCR-ABL 1 is created that triggers the cell to become cancerous and multiply substantially. The following risk factors can also be taken into account:
Symptoms of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia If you come across any of the following symptoms, it is best to get diagnosed immediately:
Treatment Procedure of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia The three types of systematic therapies that can treat this condition are:
Targeted Therapy It is the most common approach to this condition. Specific drugs are used to target the genes of the cancer cells in order to destroy them and stop their growth. These drugs are classified as BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Even though they cause side effects, it is quite manageable and not consistent. The following targeted drugs are helpful in this scenario:
Other than these, there are drugs like Bosutinib and Ponatinib, which can also be prescribed to patients if other treatments did not work effectively. Chemotherapy Like targeted therapy, chemotherapy is also the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells or slow down its growth. Here, treatment is conducted in cycles over a certain period. Depending upon the extent of the disease, a patient may be prescribed one or more than one medicine to treat the disease. Drugs like Hydroxyurea are given to patients in the first stage to lower the WBC production in the body and reduce the size of the spleen to address the condition more prominently. Synribo or Omacetaxine mepesuccinate is another chemo drug that is given to patients to treat the CML when it has entered the accelerated phase already. It is administered intravenously daily for a week or two, followed by a break where the body is given time to heal from the side effects like weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, etc. Immunotherapy Also known as biological therapy, immunotherapy is effective for boosting the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Alferon, Infergen, Intron-A are laboratory-made materials that aid the process. This approach can be undertaken in both initial and advanced stages. Needless to say, this form of treatment will also have certain side effects such as flu-like symptoms, loss of appetite, and fatigue. Note that immunotherapy isn’t required if the body is responding well to the other forms of treatment. Conclusion The above-mentioned treatment regimens are quite commonly approached measures to deal with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. However, in exceptional cases, the patient can also go for bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. There are certain risk factors that the doctor will discuss before prescribing for it. CML diagnosed in the first stages has a chance of getting cured without any remission with the help of targeted or chemotherapy. Patients who have recovered from the condition can opt for palliative care as well to bring about an improvement in the quality of life. Related:- All about Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
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