Prognosis for chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML)

Researchers collect data on how people with cancer respond to monitoring and treatment. Doctors use this to work out what a disease is likely to do in the future (its prognosis) and guide them on how to manage it.

Because CMML is a very rare type of blood cancer, there’s limited data on its prognosis. Doctors use things such as your white blood cell count and genetic mutations to work out a risk score that can help them predict your prognosis.

You can read more about risk levels for CMML on our page about symptoms and diagnosis.

If you want to know about your prognosis, ask your hospital team to explain it as they know you and your situation best.

When you have CMML, more and more immature blast cells can build up in your bone marrow over time. If the number of blasts in the bone marrow rises above 20% (more than a fifth) then the CMML will have progressed to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). This is known as transformation. AML is a faster growing stage of the CMML and needs treatment to control it.

If you are worried about progressing to AML, contact your hospital team or call our Support Service on 0808 2080 888 to talk things through with our nurses. Or complete this web form for support by email.

If you search any kind of blood cancer online, statistics like 5-year survival rates may come up. These can be worrying. Remember that these statistics are based on data about large groups of people, and may have been gathered some time ago. They don’t apply to you personally.

Find out more by reading our general information about prognosis.