Chronic myelogenous leukemia natural history

Prognosis
In one analysis of several clinical studies, three different risk groups were identified based on a prognostic scoring system that includes several variables: age, spleen size, blast count, platelet count, eosinophil count and basophil count. In the lowest risk group, the median survival time was 98 months. In the middle group, the median was 65 months, and in the highest risk group, the median was about 42 months. Of all patients analyzed, the longest survival time was 117 months. However, this study pre-dates the advent of treatments using targetted therapy. A follow-up on patients using imatinib published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows an overall survival rate of 89% after five years.

The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the following:


 * The patient’s age.
 * The phase of CML.
 * The amount of blasts in the blood or bone marrow.
 * The size of the spleen at diagnosis.
 * The patient’s general health.