Symptoms of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)
This page tells you about the symptoms of chronic myeloid leukaemia. You can find out about
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) symptoms
About 1 in 4 people with chronic leukaemia won't have any symptoms at all. Their chronic leukaemia may be diagnosed when they have a routine blood test for something else. In chronic leukaemia, symptoms tend to be mild at first and get worse slowly. You may feel as if you have the flu.
Common symptoms of CML
Many of the symptoms listed below occur in CML but are more likely to be caused by other illnesses
- Abdominal discomfort
- Tiredness from a shortage of red blood cells (anaemia)
- Weight loss
- Headaches and visual disturbances
- Night sweats and fever - these are not common early symptoms
- Bone pain
- An erection that won’t go down and can be painful (priapism)
If you have any of these symptoms you must have them checked by your GP. But remember, they can all be caused by other conditions. For example, many of us have bones that ache as we get older. Most people with these symptoms will not have CML.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About CML cancer section.
Remember that up to half of those with CML have no symptoms at all when they are diagnosed. Their CML is picked up on a routine blood test. And many of the symptoms we list below are more likely to be caused by other illnesses. CML may cause
- Abdominal discomfort
- Tiredness
- Weight loss
- Headaches and visual disturbances
- Night sweats and fever (these are less common at diagnosis)
- Bone pain
- Persistant painful erection (priapism)
Abdominal discomfort
The spleen is an organ on the left of your body, just under your ribs. In CML, it can become swollen and larger than normal. This can cause discomfort or pain in your tummy (abdomen). Your doctor may be able to feel your enlarged spleen.
Tiredness
It is common for people with CML to feel very tired. We don't always know why this is. In more advanced CML, it could be because your bone marrow isn't able to make enough red blood cells. They are crowded out by the large numbers of abnormal white blood cells. A shortage of red blood cells is called anaemia. This can make you feel breathless and tired.
Weight loss
CML itself will use up energy that your body would otherwise use or store. So you may lose weight, even if you think you are eating normally. If you have a very enlarged spleen, you may feel full more quickly than usual because the spleen is squashing your stomach. You may eat less and lose weight for that reason too.
Headaches and visual disturbances
If you have a very high white blood cell count, the extra cells can clog the smallest blood vessels in the eyes and brain. This causes headaches and eye problems in some people with chronic myeloid leukaemia.
Bone pain
Sometimes people with chronic leukaemia get aches in their bones. This is because there are leukaemia cells crowding in the bone marrow, increasing pressure on nerves and causing pain.
Persistent painful erection
Doctors call this priapism. It is a rare symptom that can happen in men with CML. Priapism is an erection that won't go down and can become very painful. It is caused by the abnormally high number of white blood cells in the blood blocking up tiny blood vessels in the penis.
If you have any of these symptoms you must have them checked by your GP. But remember, they can all be caused by other conditions. Everyone's glands come up when they have a throat infection, for example. Many of us have bones that ache as we get older. Most people with these symptoms will not have chronic myeloid leukaemia.
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