Espa?ol
PDFs by language
Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
Chat live online
Select the Live Chat button at the bottom of the page
Call us at 1-800-227-2345
Available any time of day or night
Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML)
Since chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is rarely cured, most patients never actually complete treatment. Patients may go through a series of treatments with rests in-between. Some people stop active treatment in favor of supportive care. Learning to live with cancer that does not go away can be difficult and very stressful. See Managing Cancer As A Chronic Illness for more about this.
Even if you have stopped your treatment for CMML, it is still very important to go to all your follow-up appointments. During these visits, your doctors will ask about symptoms, physically examine you, and order blood tests. They will continue to watch for signs of infection and signs that you are moving on to active leukemia. They'll also watch for short-term and long-term side effects of treatment. This is the time for you to ask your health care team any questions and to discuss any concerns you might have.
Almost any cancer treatment can have side effects. Some might last for just a few weeks or months, but others can be permanent. Don’t hesitate to tell your cancer care team about any symptoms or side effects that bother you so they can help you manage them.
Your survivorship care plan might include:
Even after treatment, it’s very important to keep your health insurance. With a chronic disease like CMML, your treatment may never really be over. Tests and doctor visits cost a lot, and even though no one wants to think about their cancer coming back or having to continue treatment for a long time, this could happen.
At some point after your cancer treatment, you might find yourself seeing a new doctor who doesn’t know about your medical history. It’s important to keep copies of your medical records to give your new doctor the details of your diagnosis and treatment. Learn more in Keeping Copies of Important Medical Records.
If you have (or have had) CMML, you probably want to know if there are things you can do that might lower your risk of the cancer growing or coming back, such as exercising, eating a certain type of diet, or taking nutritional supplements. Unfortunately, it’s not yet clear if there are things you can do that will help.
Adopting healthy behaviors such as not smoking, eating well, getting regular physical activity, and staying at a healthy weight might help, but no one knows for sure. However, we do know that these types of changes can have positive effects on your health that can extend beyond your risk of CMML or other cancers.
So far, no dietary supplements (including vitamins, minerals, and herbal products) have been shown to clearly help lower the risk of cancer progressing or coming back. This doesn’t mean that no supplements will help, but it’s important to know that none have been proven to do so.
Dietary supplements are not regulated like medicines in the United States – they do not have to be proven effective (or even safe) before being sold, although there are limits on what they’re allowed to claim they can do. If you’re thinking about taking any type of nutritional supplement, talk to your health care team. They can help you decide which ones you can use safely while avoiding those that might be harmful.
If the cancer does recur at some point, your treatment options will depend on what treatments you’ve had before, your overall health, and other factors.
For more general information, see Understanding Recurrence.
Some amount of feeling depressed, anxious, or worried is normal when cancer is a part of your life. Some people are affected emotionally more than others. But everyone can benefit from help and support from other people, whether friends and family, religious groups, support groups, professional counselors, or others. Learn more in Life After Cancer.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Last Revised: October 25, 2017
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
Sign up to stay up-to-date with news, valuable information, and ways to get involved with the American Cancer Society.
If this was helpful, donate to help fund patient support services, research, and cancer content updates.