Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) from Benzene Exposure

The challenge of treating newly diagnosed chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is to determine the best overall strategy to control the disease. Please review our Leukemia Symptoms and Types of Leukemia section for general leukemia information. General strategies for the management of CML include a variety of options:

- Leukapheresis
- HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing
- Pre-treatment fertility measures
- Chemotherapy

Leukapheresis, also known as a peripheral blood stem cell transplant, with stem cell cryopreservation (frozen storage) may be used prior to any other treatment. The patient's blood is passed through a machine that removes the stem cells and then returns the blood to the patient. Leukapheresis usually takes 3 to 4 hours to complete. The stem cells may or may not be treated with drugs to kill the cancer cells. The stem cells are then stored until they are transplanted back into the patient.

HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing is typically performed on all patients under age 60, as well as typing of siblings, parents, and children, if available. This procedure will determine whether a compatible donor is available for stem cell transplantation.

Pre-treatment fertility measures (e.g., cryopreservation of semen prior to treatment; completion of a pregnancy prior to treatment) are common in young patients who have not completed their families.

Interferon-alpha (INF-a) therapy'.

Chemotherapy with drugs such as hydroxyurea (Hydrea®), busulfan (Myleran®) or imatinib mesylate (Gleevec™) is also a treatment option.

In general, CML treatment options are divided into two groups: those that do not increase survival and those that do. Chemotherapeutic drugs such as hydroxyurea (Hydrea®) and busulfan (Myleran®) can normalize the blood count for a period of time, but they do not increase survival. They often are used to control blood counts in patients who cannot undergo SCT or who do not respond to interferon therapy because of age or medical considerations.

Gleevec, is one of a new class of cancer drugs that disables an abnormal enzyme in the cancerous cell, kills it, but leaves healthy cells virtually untouched. Other cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy, attack healthy cells as well as cancer cells, leaving patients with unpleasant and often severe side effects.

In June of 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib (Sprycel™) to treat CML that does not respond to other therapy.

One treatment that does impact on CML survival is allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, the use of high dose chemotherapy and radiation followed by infusion of a donor bone marrow. This procedure removes the chromosomal abnormality in a large percentage of patients and for them is curative. In addition, there is treatment with interferon (INF). About 20% to 30% of patients taking interferon show elimination of the abnormal chromosome and improved survival. Recent findings also suggest that low-dose cytarabine (ara-C), in combination with interferon, may be more beneficial than interferon alone. For patients who do not respond to interferon, autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation is the only alternative.

Patients with advanced-phase disease may be treated with cytotoxic drugs. For example, individuals showing myeloid transformation may be given drugs that are used to induce remission in AML - that is, daunorubicin and cytarabine, with or without 6-thioguanine or etoposide. Blast cell numbers will be reduced temporarily, but they will increase again within 3 to 6 weeks. Individuals showing lymphoid transformation have a slightly better outlook. They are treated with drugs used in the management of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) - that is, prednisone, vincristine, and daunorubicin, with or without L-asparaginase.

New drugs that are being studied in clinical trials of CML include homoherringtonine with interferon-alpha (INF-a), paclitaxel (Taxol®), QS21 (a plant extract that heightens immune responses), and amifostin (a chemical that lessens some side effects of chemotherapy). In addition, clinical trials are evaluating the potential benefits of substances such as vaccines, monoclonal antibodies (immunologic substances that can direct the patient's immune system to kill cancer cells), and hormones (e.g., growth factors, interleukins).

Benzene Lawsuits – Talk to a Benzene Lawyer

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) then you need to consult with an attorney to discuss a potential benzene exposure lawsuit. Talk to a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer, certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, with over 23 years of experience. Call for a free confidential benzene lawsuit evaluation or click the link below and fill out our free online case evaluation form.