Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
Many people with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) don’t have any symptoms when it is diagnosed.
CML is often found when a doctor orders a blood test, either during a routine checkup or for some other health problem, and the blood test shows abnormal levels of certain blood cells.
If CML does cause symptoms, they can include things like fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, and night sweats.
Possible symptoms of CML
The symptoms of CML are often vague. These symptoms are more likely caused by something other than CML. They can happen with other cancers, as well as with many conditions that aren't cancer.
Possible symptoms of CML can include:
- Fatigue
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Fever
- An enlarged spleen (felt as a mass under the left side of the ribcage)
- Pain or a sense of "fullness" in the belly
- Loss of appetite, or feeling full after eating even a small amount of food
- Bone pain (caused by leukemia cells spreading from the marrow cavity to the surface of the bone or into the joint)
CML symptoms caused by a shortage of blood cells
Some of the signs and symptoms of CML happen because the leukemia cells replace the bone marrow's normal blood-making cells. As a result, people with CML don't make enough red blood cells, normal white blood cells, and platelets. This is especially true as the leukemia becomes more advanced.
Shortage of red blood cells
A shortage of red blood cells (anemia) can lead to:
- Feeling very tired
- Weakness
- Shortness of breath
Shortage of normal white blood cells
A shortage of normal white blood cells (leukopenia) increases the risk of infections.
You might also hear the term neutropenia. This refers to low levels of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell needed to fight bacterial infections).
Most people have very high white blood cell counts (leukocytosis) when CML is first found, but the leukemia cells don’t fight infection the way normal white blood cells do. This is the most common finding on blood tests in people with CML.
Shortage of blood platelets
A shortage of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) can lead to:
- Bruising easily
- Bleeding
- Frequent or severe nosebleeds
- Bleeding gums
- Written by
- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Kantarjian H, Cortes J. Chapter 98: Chronic myeloid leukemia. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier; 2020.
National Cancer Institute. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version. 2025. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/cml-treatment-pdq on April 17, 2025.
Van Etten RA, Atallah E. Chronic myeloid leukemia: Pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/chronic-myeloid-leukemia-pathogenesis-clinical-manifestations-and-diagnosis on April 17, 2025.
Last Revised: June 16, 2025
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
American Cancer Society Emails
Sign up to stay up-to-date with news, valuable information, and ways to get involved with the American Cancer Society.
