Prognostic assessment of various parameters in chronic myeloid leukemia

In 152 cases of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) (actuarial median survival [MS], 59.2 months), the statistical relation of individual parameters with survival was studied to ascertain their prognostic value. The following parameters were found to be unrelated to the survival: age, sex, duration of symptoms, sternal bone tenderness, degree of hepatomegaly, level of hemoglobin, and leukocyte and platelet counts at the time of diagnosis. Splenomegaly of less than 10 cm and duration of first remission of 6 months or more were associated with significantly longer survival (MS, 70.5 and 68.5 months, respectively) as compared to bigger spleen size and duration of remission of less than 6 months (MS, 50.5 and 26 months; P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.05, respectively). The most significant prognostic parameter was the time required to achieve first remission. MS was 70 months in patients who achieved first remission in 2 months or less; it was 23.5 months in the remaining patients. This difference was statistically highly significant (P less than 0.001).