Survival for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is usually a slowly developing condition and treatment can keep it under control for many years. Doctors think that most people can expect to have a normal length of life. For detailed information, you will need to talk this through with your own specialist.
Targeted cancer drugs (tyrosine kinase inhibitors) work very well. People can go into remission for many years. This is when the disease isn’t active, you don't have symptoms and there are no signs of CML in your tests.
Survival depends on many factors. No one can tell you exactly how long you will live.
Below are general statistics based on large groups of people. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case.
About these statistics
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They record what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
Survival statistics
No UK-wide statistics are available for CML survival. Statistics are available for people diagnosed with CML in one area of England between 2004 and 2016.
Generally for all people with CML:
- around 90 out of 100 people (around 90%) will survive their leukaemia for 5 years or more after being diagnosed
This is for all ages. Younger people tend to do slightly better than older people.
Remember that most people don't die from their leukaemia. When they do die, its is from conditions unrelated to their leukaemia.
For those younger than 60:
- more than 90 out of 100 (more than 90%) will survive their leukaemia for 5 years or more after diagnosis
For those who are 60 or older:
- 80 out of 100 (80%) will survive their leukaemia for 5 years or more after diagnosis
Haematological Malignancy Research Network (HMRN)
Accessed June 2022
The HMRN statistics are for estimated relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people will die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
Doctors use the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, third edition (ICD-O-3) to categorise tumours. They use it to code the site of the tumour (where it is in the body) and the sub type (what the cells look like under the microscope - histology or morphology). These survival statistics are for CML with the following ICD-O-3 code:
-
9875/3
What affects survival
Your outlook depends on how well the treatment works, and how well your body copes with the treatment side effects. It also depends on your general health and whether you have any other illnesses.
Several factors can affect your outlook (prognosis). These are called prognostic factors. Doctors can look at these prognostic factors to predict how you might respond to treatment. These factors include:
- your age - younger people have a better prognosis
- having a low platelet count
- how many blasts you have in your blood – blasts are new, immature blood cells
- how large your spleen is
More statistics
For more in-depth information about survival and CML, go to Cancer Research UK's Cancer Statistics section.
