Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML)

Symptoms are changes that you can feel in your body. Signs are changes that can be seen or measured, like your blood pressure or the results of a lab test.

People with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) may have one or more signs or symptoms.

But for some people, CMML doesn’t cause any signs or symptoms. Instead, CMML is sometimes found during routine blood tests or blood tests done for another health reason. During these blood tests, doctors might discover a person has an unusual number of blood cells (too few or too many).

The most common symptoms and signs of CMML are listed below. 

CMML symptoms from too many monocytes in the blood

CMML is a type of blood cancer. If you have CMML, your body makes too many monocytes (a type of white blood cell). Your body might also make too few of some other types of blood cells.

If there are too many monocytes in your blood, they can settle in your spleen or liver, making these organs larger than they should be.

• Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly): If your spleen gets too big, it can cause pain in the upper left part of your belly.
• Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly): If your liver gets too big, it can cause discomfort in the upper right part of your belly.

If either of these organs gets large enough, it can press on your stomach. This might cause you to feel full too quickly when you eat.

CMML symptoms from too few blood cells

Many of the signs and symptoms of CMML are caused by low numbers of other types of blood cells.  

A shortage of red blood cells (anemia) can lead to:

• Feeling very tired
• Shortness of breath
• Lighter-colored skin

Not having enough normal white blood cells (leukopenia) can lead to:

• Frequent or severe infections.

A shortage of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) can lead to:

• Easy bruising and bleeding
• Frequent or severe nosebleeds
• Bleeding from the gums

Other possible symptoms of CMML

Other symptoms of CMML can include:

• Weight loss
• Fever
• Night sweats
• Loss of appetite

More often than not, many of these problems are caused by something other than CMML. If you're having symptoms, see a doctor so the cause can be found.