Almost every second Pole does not know what chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is. Our knowledge of risk factors is even less.
The celebration of the International Day of Awareness of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Warsaw was accompanied by an educational exhibition at Plac Defilad presenting the nature of this disease.
Although almost all of us have heard about leukemia, it turns out that this knowledge is quite superficial. Few people have heard about risk factors, types of leukemia, and every 5th participant of the study conducted in August this year. by MillwardBrown he could not spontaneously name a single blood disorder. Interestingly, however, the respondents asked by the respondents indicated blood and / or bone marrow tests as the most common methods of early detection of a threat (both approx. 70-80%), which is true.
86% of us know that leukemia is a blood disease, but every second respondent does not know what chronic myeloid leukemia is. Thanks to many campaigns and continuous education, awareness of leukemia is growing. As the test shows, we perform blood counts sporadically, although we realize that it is thanks to it that it is possible to detect many diseases, including leukemia. CML is a blood disease that affects 350 Poles every year.
“Almost every second case of chronic myeloid leukemia is detected during routine tests. Unfortunately, Polish diagnostics is still not perfect, it is especially visible at the level of family doctors and internists. This disease is diagnosed in Poland much less frequently and later than in other European countries (France, Italy, Germany). The lack of blood counts in the set of obligatory periodic examinations performed by occupational medicine doctors is partially responsible for this state of affairs “- emphasized Dr. med. Tomasz Sacha, Department and Clinic of Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College.
The MillwardBrown study also shows that the risk factors for the disease are not known to us. None of the factors was indicated by more than half of the respondents. Only among people with higher education – the genetic factor clearly dominates the responses, although this is a misconception. Chronic myeloid leukemia is not a disease passed down from generation to generation, and the only proven risk factor is ionizing radiation.
The aim of the International Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Awareness Day is to draw attention to patients with this disease and to educate the public in the field of health awareness. The date September 22.09 was chosen not by accident – it symbolizes a gene mutation resulting from the displacement of genes on chromosome 9 and 22, which leads to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). As a result of the mutation, the so-called Philadelphia chromosome (Philadelphia, Ph +). The defective tumor gene BCR-ABL is responsible for the production of an abnormal protein, the constant activity of which leads to the development of CML. In most cases, the onset of the disease is asymptomatic and the disease is diagnosed, for example, by finding abnormalities in routine blood tests.
As part of the celebration of the International Day of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Awareness in Warsaw, in front of the Palace of Culture and Science, you will be able to see an educational exhibition showing the progress in the treatment of this disease, which has been made thanks to modern methods of treatment. Every passer-by will have the opportunity to learn the most important facts about CML, as well as see how the number of cancer cells should decrease with time in the human body.
“The morphology can help in the quick detection of chronic myeloid leukemia, so it is worth doing this test every year. For many years I have emphasized that deleting blood tests from basic checkups performed, for example, when starting a new job is very unfavorable for potential patients. After all, the sooner we detect the disease, the sooner we can start fighting it, ”said Jacek Gugulski, President of the Polish Association for Aid to Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.
The goal of CML treatment is to restore the normal number of blood cells and to reduce and maintain a low level of the BCR-ABL gene. Doctors to fight the disease have first-generation drugs and modern second-generation drugs, the so-called tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
For many years, despite treatment attempts, CML was a fatal disease. At the turn of the 70s and 80s, patients were only offered hydroxycarbamide therapy, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation or treatment with interferon alpha. The revolution was the introduction of the first generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the form of tablets, the use of which changed the face of CML from a fatal disease to a chronic disease. The next step was the introduction of modern treatment in the form of second-generation drugs. A certain group of patients is currently investigating the possibility of temporarily stopping treatment.