How Is Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Diagnosed?

This content has been reviewed and approved by

Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD
Chairman & Professor, Leukemia Department
MD Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas
 

In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) may include:

  • Additional blood tests and other evaluation procedures.
  • Bone marrow aspiration and/or biopsy. This is a procedure that involves taking a small amount of bone marrow fluid (aspiration) and/or solid bone marrow tissue (called a core biopsy), usually from the hip bones, to be examined for the number, size, and maturity of blood cells and/or abnormal cells. This will also be used to do chromosome studies to detect the Ph abnormality. This is the most important test to document CML.
This content was last modified on August 11, 2007 .
Latest Chronic Myeloid Leukemia News
Novartis leukemia drugs show promise

December 9, 2008 — ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis AG's cancer drug Tasigna was effective and helped achieve rapid responses as an initial therapy in newly diagnosed patients with a life threatening form of leukemia, the company said.

New study backs solvent, leukemia link

November 18, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Research from Italy provides new evidence that exposure to the industrial solvent benzene increases a person's risk of developing multiple myeloma.

Gene trawl shows curing cancer harder than thought

September 4, 2008 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cancer experts who probed every gene in tumors from two of the hardest-to-treat cancers found that cancer is much more complicated than anyone thought -- and say they found why a cure is so unlikely after a tumor has spread.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health