Cancer Living with Cancer

The number of cells containing the genetic defect in some leukemias can be reduced


Today, highly sensitive tests can identify the presence of the gene responsible for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Just one cancerous cell can be detected among hundreds of thousands of cells. The faulty gene, found on the Philadelphia chromosome, creates an enzyme that interferes with the regulation of white blood cell production. The result is an explosion in the growth of white blood cells, the hallmark of CML. A novel medication tackles the disease by reducing the number of white blood cells and the number of cells containing the faulty gene.