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Scientists Uncover Indicator that Warns Leukemia is Progressing to More Dangerous Form

February 18th, 2009 by matuzafv · No Comments · Biology

Many scientists have found that there is a type of a chronic form of leukemia that can progress into a deadlier stage of the disease. “The findings may provide physicians with an indicator of when this type of cancer – chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) – is progressing, enabling them to make more accurate prognoses for the disease and improved treatment choices. ” says University of California – San Diego.

In CML the ABL enzyme goes in overdrive because of a mixup in the  chromosomes that happens during blood cell development. The genes ABL and BCR fuse andcreate a hybrid BCR-ABL enzyme that drives the excessive proliferation of white blood cells. CML progresses from a chronic stage in some hematopoietic stem cells that carry BCR-ABL to the blast crisis stage. This stage is characterized by the over-production of beta-catenin in white blood cells called granulocyte macrophage progenitors (GMP) – in effect, leukemia stem cells. So basically like some chromosomes get all messed up and fuse together and create a deadly hybrid.

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