Chronic myelogenous (or
myeloid or
myelocytic)
leukemia (
CML), also known as
chronic granulocytic leukemia (
CGL), is a cancer of the
white blood cells. It is a form of
leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of predominantly
myeloid cells in the
bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in the blood. CML is a clonal bone marrow
stem cell disorder in which a proliferation of mature
granulocytes (
neutrophils,
eosinophils and
basophils) and their precursors is found. It is a type of
myeloproliferative disease associated with a characteristic
chromosomal translocation called the
Philadelphia chromosome. CML is now largely treated with targeted drugs called
tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) which have led to dramatically improved long-term survival rates since the introduction of the first such agent in 2001. These drugs have revolutionized treatment of this disease and allow most patients to have a good quality of life when compared to the former chemotherapy drugs. In Western countries it accounts for 15-20% of all adult leukemias and 14% of leukemias overall (including the pediatric population).