what is cml leukemia

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a type of cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow and invades the blood. It is also known as chronic myelogenous leukemia or chronic granulocytic leukemia. CML is a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow disease that usually occurs during or after middle age, and rarely occurs in children. The condition causes an increased number of white blood cells in the blood. In CML, a genetic change takes place in an early version of myeloid cells, which forms an abnormal gene called BCR-ABL, turning the cell into a CML cell. The leukemia cells grow and divide, building up in the bone marrow and spilling over into the blood. Most people with CML have a chromosome called the Philadelphia chromosome inside their blood cells. CML is a fairly slow-growing leukemia, but it can change into a fast-growing acute leukemia thats hard to treat. Symptoms of CML include weight loss, tiredness, drenching night sweats, fever, and pain or a feeling of fullness below the ribs on the left side. The treatment for CML usually involves daily oral drug therapy.