What is Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia? A look at the cancer behind Sunrise star Edwina Bartholomew’s shock on-air announcement
Edwina Bartholomew broke down in tears during Friday’s episode of Sunrise, tearfully admitting that she has been diagnosed with cancer.
Edwina, 44, told her TV audience at breakfast that she had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).
“It’s a very good kind,” the mother of two said. “It can be treated with a daily tablet. If I can take care of myself, I’ll be absolutely fine,” she said of the cancer.
According to the Leukemia FoundationChronic myeloid leukemia is a rare form of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
CML causes the bone marrow to produce too many white blood cells called granulocytes.
These cells, also called leukaemic blasts, crowd the bone marrow and disrupt the production of normal blood cells.
The cells also ‘flow’ out of the bone marrow and circulate through the body via the bloodstream.
Approximately 330 Australians are diagnosed with CML each year, which is just 0.03 percent of all cancers diagnosed.
Edwina Bartholomew broke down in tears on Friday’s episode of Sunrise and tearfully admitted that she has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
The foundation states that CML can occur at any age, but that it is much more common in people over the age of 40. They account for almost 70 percent of all diagnoses.
It is also more common in men than women.
CML usually develops gradually in the early stages, with the disease progressing slowly through three phases: chronic, accelerated, and blast, over weeks or months.
According to the Leukemia Foundation, CML is a rare form of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
Approximately 330 Australians are diagnosed with CML each year, representing just 0.03 percent of all cancers diagnosed.
In more than 90 percent of people, the disease is diagnosed in the early chronic phase. The blood count remains relatively stable and the percentage of blast cells in the blood and bone marrow is usually five percent or less.
Most people show few to no bothersome symptoms of their disease during the chronic phase.
The foundation stated that CML progresses from a relatively stable disease to a more rapidly progressive disease in only five percent of cases. In this accelerated phase, some of the blast cells in the bone marrow and blood can increase.
If CML in the accelerated phase is not treated, it can develop into CML in the blast phase. In general, however, the chance of developing into a rapidly progressive disease similar to acute leukemia is less than 5 percent.
In patients who respond positively to drug therapy, the risk is reduced to only one percent.
About two-thirds of blast-phase CML cases progress to a disease resembling acute myeloid leukemia, while the remainder progress to a disease resembling acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Although treatment largely depends on the stage of the disease, age and health, most patients with CML are treated with drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).
These drugs block the activity of an enzyme called bcr-abl, which prevents the growth and proliferation of these leukemic cells.
The longtime Seven star has children Molly, four, and Thomas, two, with her husband of six years Neil Varcoe