History

The clinical manifestations of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) are insidious. The disease is often discovered incidentally in the chronic phase, when an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count is revealed by a routine blood count or when an enlarged spleen is found on a general physical examination.

Nonspecific symptoms of fatigue and weight loss may occur long after the onset of the disease. Loss of energy and decreased exercise tolerance may occur during the chronic phase after several months.

Patients often have symptoms related to enlargement of the spleen, liver, or both. The large spleen may encroach on the stomach and cause early satiety and decreased food intake. Left upper quadrant abdominal pain described as "gripping" may occur from spleen infarction. The enlarged spleen may also be associated with a hypermetabolic state, fever, weight loss, and chronic fatigue. The enlarged liver may contribute to the patient's weight loss.

Some patients with CML have low-grade fever and excessive sweating related to hypermetabolism.

In some patients who present in the accelerated, or acute, leukemia phase of the disease (skipping the chronic phase), bleeding, petechiae, and ecchymoses may be the prominent symptoms. In these situations, fever is usually associated with infections. Bone pain and fever, as well as an increase in bone marrow fibrosis, are harbingers of the blast phase.

Physical Examination

Splenomegaly is the most common physical finding in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). In more than 50% of the patients with CML, the spleen extends more than 5 cm below the left costal margin at time of discovery.

The size of the spleen correlates with the peripheral blood granulocyte counts, with the largest spleens being observed in patients with high WBC counts. A very large spleen is usually a harbinger of the transformation into an acute blast crisis form of the disease.

Hepatomegaly also occurs, although less commonly than splenomegaly. Hepatomegaly is usually part of the extramedullary hematopoiesis occurring in the spleen.

Physical findings of leukostasis and hyperviscosity can occur in some patients, with extraordinary elevation of their WBC counts, exceeding 300,000-600,000 cells/μL. Upon funduscopy, the retina may show papilledema, venous obstruction, and hemorrhages.

The blast crisis is marked by an increase in the bone marrow or peripheral blood blast count or by the development of soft-tissue or skin leukemic infiltrates. Typical symptoms are due to increasing anemia, thrombocytopenia, basophilia, a rapidly enlarging spleen, and failure of the usual medications to control leukocytosis and splenomegaly.

Differential Diagnoses

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Media Gallery

Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Blood film at 400X magnification demonstrates leukocytosis with the presence of precursor cells of the myeloid lineage. In addition, basophilia, eosinophilia, and thrombocytosis can be seen. Courtesy of U. Woermann, MD, Division of Instructional Media, Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Blood film at 1000X magnification demonstrates the whole granulocytic lineage, including an eosinophil and a basophil. Courtesy of U. Woermann, MD, Division of Instructional Media, Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Blood film at 1000X magnification shows a promyelocyte, an eosinophil, and 3 basophils. Courtesy of U. Woermann, MD, Division of Instructional Media, Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Bone marrow film at 400X magnification demonstrates clear dominance of granulopoiesis. The number of eosinophils and megakaryocytes is increased. Courtesy of U. Woermann, MD, Division of Instructional Media, Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Switzerland.
The Philadelphia chromosome, which is a diagnostic karyotypic abnormality for chronic myelogenous leukemia, is shown in this picture of the banded chromosomes 9 and 22. Shown is the result of the reciprocal translocation of 22q to the lower arm of 9 and 9q (c-abl to a specific breakpoint cluster region [bcr] of chromosome 22 indicated by the arrows). Courtesy of Peter C. Nowell, MD, Department of Pathology and Clinical Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Fluorescence in situ hybridization using unique-sequence, double-fusion DNA probes for bcr (22q11.2) in red and c-abl (9q34) gene regions in green. The abnormal bcr/abl fusion present in Philadelphia chromosome–positive cells is in yellow (right panel) compared with a control (left panel). Courtesy of Emmanuel C. Besa, MD.

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Author

Emmanuel C Besa, MD Professor Emeritus, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Kimmel Cancer Center, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University

Emmanuel C Besa, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Education, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American College of Clinical Pharmacology, American Federation for Medical Research, American Society of Hematology, New York Academy of Sciences

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Sara J Grethlein, MD, MBA, FACP Executive Medical Director and Medical Oncologist, Swedish Cancer Institute

Sara J Grethlein, MD, MBA, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American Medical Women's Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, Gold Humanism Honor Society, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

Karen Seiter, MD Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology/Hematology, New York Medical College

Karen Seiter, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American College of Physicians, American Society of Hematology

Disclosure: Received honoraria from Novartis for speaking and teaching; Received consulting fee from Novartis for speaking and teaching; Received honoraria from Celgene for speaking and teaching.

Acknowledgements

Bruce Buehler, MD Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Director RSA, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Bruce Buehler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association on Mental Retardation, American College of Medical Genetics, American College of Physician Executives, American Medical Association, and Nebraska Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Maurie Markman, MD Vice President for Medical Oncology Services, National Director for Medical Oncology, Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Maurie Markman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and American Society of Hematology

Disclosure: Eli Lilly Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Genentech Consulting fee Consulting; Cellgene Consulting fee Consulting; Hana Pharmaceuticals Consulting fee Consulting; Boehringer Ingelheim Consulting fee Consulting; Ortho Biotech Consulting fee Consulting; Morphotech Consulting; Amgen Consulting fee Consulting

Ronald A Sacher, MB, BCh, MD, FRCPC Professor, Internal Medicine and Pathology, Director, Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center

Ronald A Sacher, MB, BCh, MD, FRCPC is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Blood Banks, American Clinical and Climatological Association, American Society for Clinical Pathology, American Society of Hematology, College of American Pathologists, International Society of Blood Transfusion, International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Disclosure: Glaxo Smith Kline Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Talecris Honoraria Board membership

Clarence Sarkodee-Adoo, MD Consulting Staff, Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation, City of Hope Samaritan BMT Program

Disclosure: Takeda Millenium Honoraria Speaking and teaching

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Mary L Windle, PharmD Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.