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Treatment of Children with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is rare in children, but it can occur. Treatment in children is like what is used for adults.
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Common treatment approaches in childhood CML
Targeted drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as imatinib (Gleevec), dasatinib (Sprycel), nilotinib (Tasigna), and bosutinib (Bosulif) attack cells with the Philadelphia chromosome, which is the key gene abnormality in CML cells. These drugs are usually good at controlling CML, often for long periods of time and with less severe side effects than chemo drugs. However, it is not yet clear if these drugs can cure CML when used alone, and they must be taken every day for a long time. Clinical trials are being done to help doctors decide if there is a safe timepoint to stop these drugs.
If targeted drugs are no longer helpful, high-dose chemotherapy with a stem cell transplant offers the best chance for a cure.
For more information on CML and its treatment, see Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.
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- 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).
National Cancer Institute. Childhood Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Treatment (PDQ). 2024. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/hp/child-aml-treatment-pdq/childhood-cml-treatment-pdq on May 7, 2025.
Rau RE, Loh ML. Chapter 17B: Myeloproliferative Neoplasms of Childhood. In: Blaney SM, Adamson PC, Helman LJ, eds. Pizzo and Poplack’s Pediatric Oncology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2021.
Last Revised: July 22, 2025
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