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Radiation Therapy for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
Radiation therapy is treatment with high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells. It is rarely needed for people with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but it might be used in certain situations.
When might radiation be used to treat CML?
To shrink enlarged organs: Some people might get radiation to treat swollen internal organs if they are pressing on other organs and causing symptoms. For example, an enlarged spleen can put pressure on the stomach and affect appetite. If these symptoms aren’t helped by other treatments, radiation to shrink the spleen may be an option.
To treat bone pain: Radiation can sometimes be useful in treating pain from bone damage caused by the growth of leukemia cells within the bone marrow.
As part of a stem cell transplant: Radiation therapy may be given in low doses to the whole body as part of a stem cell transplant.
How is radiation therapy given for CML?
External beam radiation therapy is the type of radiation used most often for CML. During this treatment, a machine sends a beam of radiation to a specific part of your body.
Before your treatment starts, the treatment team will take careful measurements to determine the proper dose of radiation and the correct angles for aiming the radiation beams.
Getting radiation therapy is a lot like getting an x-ray, but the radiation is more intense (stronger). The procedure itself is painless. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes, but the setup time (getting you into place for treatment) usually takes longer.
Side effects of radiation therapy to treat CML
The main side effects of radiation therapy depend on what part of the body is treated.
- Fatigue (tiredness) is a common side effect no matter what part of the body is treated.
- Skin changes can occur in the treated area, ranging from mild redness to blistering and peeling.
- If radiation is aimed at your head or neck, the inside lining of your mouth and throat may become red and irritated.
- Radiation to your belly or pelvis can cause nausea and vomiting and/or diarrhea.
Ask your cancer care team what side effects to look out for and what you can do to manage them.
More information about radiation therapy
To learn more about how radiation is used to treat cancer, see Radiation Therapy.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Kantarjian H, Cortes J. Chapter 98: Chronic myeloid leukemia. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier; 2020.
Schiffer CA, Atallah E. Overview of the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-the-treatment-of-chronic-myeloid-leukemia on April 25, 2025.
Last Revised: June 16, 2025
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