Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML): Symptoms

What are the symptoms of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)?

Many people don’t have any symptoms when they're diagnosed with CML. It's often found when a person has blood tests done for another reason and the tests show too many white blood cells. If CML does cause symptoms, they can include: 

• Feeling very tired (fatigue).

• Feeling weak.

• Fevers.

• Night sweats.

• Frequent infections.

• Pain or a sense of fullness in the left upper belly (abdomen), from an enlarged spleen.

• Feeling full after eating only a small amount.

• Weight loss for no known reason.

• Bone or joint pain.

When to see your doctor

Many of these symptoms can be caused by other, more common health problems. In fact, most of them are more likely to be caused by something else. But it's important to see your health care provider if you have these symptoms. Only a provider can tell if you have CML, another type of cancer, or some other health problem that needs to be treated.