Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)

Alternative names:

chronic granulocytic leukemia; chronic myelocytic leukemia

Symptoms:

• fatigue
• weakness
• sweating, excessive (night sweats)
• low-grade fever
• pressure under the left ribs from an enlarged spleen
• bleeding and bruising
• sudden appearance of small red marks on the skin (petechiae)
• bone pain

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• penis pain
• menstruation, painful

Signs and tests:

A physical examination often reveals an enlarged spleen.

• A CBC shows increased white blood cell count.
• A CBC differential is consistent with CML findings.

Additional signs and tests include:

• bone marrow aspiration
• the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome
• the leukocyte alkaline phosphatase level

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

• vitamin B-12 level
• uric acid, urine
• platelet count