Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia and MDS/MPN overlap neoplasms
Prepared with OnCo (onco.cc/prep/cmml/). Orientation, not medical advice; your team knows your case.
My details
What I know, what is unclear, changes to discuss
Saved in this browserMy questions
17 on the sheet- 1.What is my exact diagnosis, stage, and grade, and which tests established them?
- 2.Which biomarkers have been tested on my tumour (for example Monocyte count and percentage; flow cytometric monocyte subset partitioning, Bone marrow blasts and dysplasia, Cytogenetics, complex), NGS: TET2, SRSF2, ASXL1, RUNX1, SETBP1, NRAS, KRAS, CBL, JAK2, SF3B1; exclusion of BCR-ABL1 and PDGFRA/B rearrangements, CPSS and CPSS-Mol risk score), and what were the results?
- 3.Which subtype is my cancer, and does that change the recommended treatment?
- 4.Is germline (inherited) genetic testing recommended for me or my family?
- 5.For my situation (higher-risk cmml, fit with a donor), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 6.Am I a candidate for Azacitidine, and what side effects should I expect?
- 7.For my situation (higher-risk or symptomatic cmml, not transplant candidate), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 8.Am I a candidate for Azacitidine, Decitabine + cedazuridine (oral), and what side effects should I expect?
- 9.For my situation (proliferative cmml with symptomatic leucocytosis or splenomegaly), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 10.Am I a candidate for Hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide), Ruxolitinib, and what side effects should I expect?
- 11.For my situation (juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 12.Am I a candidate for Azacitidine, and what side effects should I expect?
- 13.Are there clinical trials I could join, for example of Ruxolitinib, Venetoclax, Azacitidine, Allogeneic stem cell transplantation?
- 14.Would a second opinion at a high-volume centre change anything, and can you help arrange it?
- 15.What supportive care (symptom control, nutrition, exercise, mental health, financial help) is available from the start?
- 16.I read that “No drug alters the disease course; RAS-pathway inhibitors, GM-CSF antibodies and venetoclax combinations are in early trials”. How does that affect my plan?
- 17.I read that “Transformation to AML in a substantial minority; sequential mutation tracking to intervene earlier is being studied”. How does that affect my plan?
The words I may hear
- Conditioning regimen (myeloablative, reduced-intensity): The chemotherapy (with or without whole-body radiation) given in the days before a stem cell transplant to destroy the diseased marrow and, for donor transplants, suppress the patient's immune system so the graft is not rejected.
- Hypomethylating agents (azacitidine, decitabine): Low-intensity chemotherapy that strips chemical 'off' switches (methyl groups) from DNA so silenced genes can be read again.
- Cytopenias and myelosuppression: The umbrella term for low blood counts of any kind (white cells, red cells, platelets) when treatment suppresses the bone marrow.
- Blasts (leukaemic blast cells): Immature blood cells that should mature in the marrow but in acute leukaemia multiply without growing up.
- Cytogenetics and karyotype: Looking at a cancer's chromosomes under the microscope to find missing, extra, broken or swapped pieces.
Tests and results to bring
Biomarker results to ask for: Monocyte count and percentage; flow cytometric monocyte subset partitioning (classical monocytes above 94 percent), Bone marrow blasts and dysplasia, Cytogenetics (trisomy 8, -7/del(7q), complex), NGS: TET2, SRSF2, ASXL1, RUNX1, SETBP1, NRAS, KRAS, CBL, JAK2, SF3B1; exclusion of BCR-ABL1 and PDGFRA/B rearrangements, CPSS and CPSS-Mol risk score, Germline NF1, PTPN11, CBL in JMML.
Scans and tests linked to this cancer: Cytogenetics and FISH, Multiparameter flow cytometry MRD, Clinical NGS bioinformatics and variant interpretation.
Bring copies of scan reports, pathology and blood results, and a list of every medicine and supplement.
The treatments I may be offered
- Higher-risk CMML, fit with a donor: Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant, often after hypomethylating-agent cytoreduction; the only curative option. (Allogeneic stem cell transplantation, Azacitidine)
- Higher-risk or symptomatic CMML, not transplant candidate: Azacitidine or decitabine (or oral decitabine-cedazuridine) until progression; supportive care with transfusion and growth factors. (Azacitidine, Decitabine + cedazuridine (oral), Hypomethylating agents (azacitidine, decitabine), Transfusion support and anaemia management)
- Proliferative CMML with symptomatic leucocytosis or splenomegaly: Hydroxyurea (superior to etoposide in the randomised GFM trial); ruxolitinib in trials for symptomatic proliferative disease. (Hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide), Ruxolitinib)
- Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia: Allogeneic transplant; azacitidine as bridging therapy (EMA approval 2019 for JMML); watchful waiting for some CBL- or Noonan-associated cases that regress spontaneously. (Azacitidine, Allogeneic stem cell transplantation)
From the standard of care recorded for this cancer; which apply depends on your stage and biomarkers. Ask which the team recommends and why.