Treatment

It's important that your doctor is experienced in treating people who have chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) or works in consultation with a hematologist oncologist who has experience treating CMML patients.

Types of CMML Treatment

In most cases, CMML can't be cured, but it can be treated. Doctors use several types of treatment for adults with CMML, although there's no one standard drug therapy for the disease:

Finding the Best Treatment Approach

For most CMML patients, the disease is treatable, but not curable, with currently available therapies.

The treatment your doctor recommends is based on several factors, including:

  • The nature and extent of your symptoms
  • How quickly your disease is progressing and needs to be brought under control
  • Your eligibility for stem cell transplantation
  • Your overall health
  • The effect treatment may have on your quality of life

As you develop a treatment plan with your doctor, be sure to discuss:

  • The results you can expect from treatment
  • Potential side effects, including long-term and late effects
  • The possibility of participating in a clinical trial, where you'll have access to advanced medical treatment that may be more beneficial to you than standard treatment

You may find it helpful to bring a loved one with you to your doctor's visits for support and to take notes and ask follow-up questions. It's a good idea to prepare questions you'd like to ask when you visit your doctor. You can also record your conversations with your doctor and listen more closely when you get home.

 

To download lists of suggested questions to ask your healthcare providers, click here.

 

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