CML develops over months or years, and there are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages. It is sometimes discovered when a child or teen is having a routine blood test. If the disease is not found from a routine blood test, a child may develop some of the following signs and symptoms:

• Abdominal pain or feelings of fullness due to an enlarged spleen
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, stomach, or groin
• Pale skin
• Poor appetite
• Weight loss
• Fatigue or weakness
• Bruises
• Headaches
• Fevers
• Night sweats
• Bone and joint pain

Because CML is rare in children and these symptoms are common to many childhood illnesses, it’s often hard to diagnose early. When a complete blood count (CBC) test is done, the following results are usually found in children with CML:

• High WBC count of mostly neutrophils and other types of WBCs
• High platelet count
• Low RBC count

When a child’s WBC is extremely high at diagnosis, other signs and symptoms may be present, including:

• Rapid breathing
• Visual changes
• Hearing loss
• Hemorrhage of the retina
• Priapism (long-lasting and painful erection in males)