Symptoms of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)

Men and women discussing Chronic myeloid leukaemia

This page tells you about the symptoms of chronic myeloid leukaemia. There is information about

A quick guide to what's on this page
Common symptoms of chronic myeloid leukaemia
What to do if you have these symptoms
More information

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
A painful erection in men that won’t go (priapism) – priapism is an emergency, so if you have this you need to get medical attention urgently. Priapism can cause permanent damage to 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. For example, many of us have bones that ache as we get older. Most people with these symptoms will not have CML.

CR PDF Icon You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the about CML section.

Remember that up to half of the people 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
Persistent painful erection (priapism)

Abdominal discomfort

The spleen is an organ on the left side 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. This may cause you to eat less and lose weight.

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 can cause headaches and eye problems in some people with chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Night sweats and fever

It is quite common to have sudden onsets of fever. They can occur more often at night when you are sleeping.

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. The erection in priapism is not related to sexual stimulation or desire. It is caused by the abnormally high number of white blood cells in the blood blocking up tiny blood vessels in the penis.

A priapism is an emergency. If you have persistent painful erection then you need medical attention. This is because an erection that lasts too long can cause permanent damage to the penis.

If you have any of these symptoms you must have them checked by your GP. But remember, they can be caused by other conditions. Many of us have bones that ache as we get older. Most people with these symptoms will not have chronic myeloid leukaemia.

The earlier a cancer is picked up, the easier it is to treat it and the more likely the treatment is to be successful. So it is important that you go to your GP as soon as possible if you notice worrying symptoms.