What are the advantages of starting medical therapy as opposed to waiting for a bone marrow transplant?
Because there are now a number of different treatment options, there are some dilemmas that new patients face. The conventional ‘curative’ therapy for CML is a bone marrow transplant from another individual, either from a sibling (a brother or a sister) or from an unrelated donor, but this procedure is not successful in all cases and it does have its risks. If you were to have a bone marrow transplantation, even with the best matched donors, there is a chance of relapse in 10–20% of cases and the procedure can be life-threatening in about 10% of cases. Generally, you have to be less than 65 years old to receive this kind of treatment, although every person is considered on an individual basis. There are significantly smaller risks associated with medical therapy, however, medical therapy may not cure your CML. Your Haematology Consultant will discuss your treatment options with you and together you will decide on the best choice.
