Diagnosis and management of CMML

Daniel Wiseman, MBChB, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, gives an overview of the diagnosis and management of patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Diagnosis is currently based on evidence of both dysplasia in the bone marrow and monocytosis and is also helped by the identification of specific mutations, which allow dividing patients into low and high-risk groups. While lower risk patients are mainly managed with active surveillance, higher risk patients are treated with disease-modifying treatments including hydroxycarbamide and hypomethylating agents. A small proportion of young and fit patients can also undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT), which is the only curative strategy for CMML at present. In addition, with only three FDA-approved drugs for CMML, it is critical to explore more effective treatment strategies in the future. This interview took place at the 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Society for Haematology (BSH) 2022, in Manchester, UK.