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1. Written by Cycman
   on November 14, 2009 at 7:35 pm
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   CML is not classified by stages, rather it is classified by “phases”. You can roughly divide it into chronic or accelerated/blastic phase. Chronic phase is what most patients are diagnosed in. Without treatment, people can live for months to years. With accelerated/blastic phase, it is basically considered an Acute Leukemia, and needs immediate treatment otherwise survival is only days to weeks.
   With chronic phase CML, the treatment of choice is imatinib (commonly known as Gleevec). It is a very specific inhibitor of the molecular problem in CML, BCR-ABL fusion protein, and inhibits its action. After its FDA approval in 2001, this drug has basically revolutionized the CML therapy and has put the majority of CML patients into remission. It is not known whether a cure is possible, and long-term data is still being collected. However, the prognosis appears very good. But a small number of patients do progress into blast phase.
   With accelerated/blast phase CML, because it is considered an acute myeloid leukemia, basically the treatment is induction chemotherapy. The outcome for this is traditionally poor, and usually an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (bone marrow from a matched donor) is used after initial remission is achieved by chemotherapy. While a cure is possible, the chances are rather low.
   Hope this helps.

2. Written by Cycman
   on November 14, 2009 at 7:35 pm
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   I’m not sure but they do hold studies for bone marrow stem cell transplant for trying to cure that now. That’s the only thing that I know about it. Sorry!

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