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Surgery for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Leukemia cells spread widely throughout the bone marrow and other organs, so surgery cannot be used to cure this type of cancer. Surgery rarely has any role even in diagnosing chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), since a blood test or bone marrow aspirate and biopsy are usually all that's needed.
Splenectomy
If leukemia spreads to the spleen, it can become large enough to compress nearby organs and cause symptoms. If chemotherapy or radiation doesn't help shrink the spleen, it may be removed with surgery. This operation, called a splenectomy, is meant to improve the symptoms of an enlarged spleen — it has no role in curing CML.
Splenectomy may also improve blood cell counts and lower the need for blood product transfusions. One of the spleen's normal functions is to remove worn-out blood cells from the bloodstream. If leukemia or other diseases cause the spleen to become too large, it may become too active in removing blood cells, leading to a shortage of red blood cells or platelets. Taking out the spleen may improve red blood cell and platelet counts in some patients.
Most people have no problem living without a spleen, but the risk for certain bacterial infections is increased. This is why doctors often recommend certain vaccines be given before the spleen is removed.
More information about Surgery
For more general information about surgery as a treatment for cancer, see Cancer Surgery.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
- Written by
- References
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Encyclopedia of Surgery. Splenectomy. Accessed at www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Pa-St/Splenectomy.html on May 16, 2018.
National Cancer Institute. Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Treatment (PDQ?)–Patient Version. March 30, 2018. Accessed at www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/cml-treatment-pdq on May 16, 2018.
Last Revised: June 19, 2018
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