Chronic myeloid leukemia (also called CML or chronic granulocytic leukemia) is a disease in which too many white blood cells are made in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside the large bones in the body. The bone marrow makes red blood cells (which carry oxygen and other materials to all tissues of the body), white blood cells (which fight infection), and platelets (which make the blood clot). Normally, bone marrow cells called blasts develop into several different types of blood cells that have specific jobs to do in the body. CML affects the blasts that are developing into white blood cells called granulocytes. The blasts do not mature and become too numerous. These immature blast cells are then found in the blood and the bone marrow. In most people with CML, the genetic material (chromosomes) in the leukemia cells have an abnormal feature called a Philadelphia chromosome. This chromosome usually doesn't go away, even after treatment. Leukemia can be acute (progressing quickly with many immature blasts) or chronic (progressing slowly with more mature-looking cancer cells). Chronic myeloid leukemia progresses slowly and usually occurs in people who are middle-aged or older, although it can also occur in children. In the first stages of CML, most people don't have any symptoms of cancer. A doctor should be seen if any of the following symptoms appear: tiredness that won't go away, a feeling of no energy, fever, not feeling hungry, or night sweats. Also, the spleen (the organ in the upper abdomen that makes other types of white blood cells and filters old blood cells from the blood) may be swollen. Below are some links to help you learn more about CML and other types of Leukemia. There is also a link to miltcentral.com, which is a site by a man named Milton who has ALL (another form of Leukemia) and who inspired me to create this site. You MUST see his site! Milton's Website The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society The American Cancer Society