Prognosis is an estimate of the chance for cure, but it is primarily used to determine treatment. The prognosis of a child with CML greatly depends on:

• Phase of disease at diagnosis
• Genetic abnormalities of the cancer cells
• The cancer’s response to treatment with imatinib (Gleevec®) or another drug in the same family

A small percentage of children diagnosed during the chronic phase are found to have genetic abnormalities in addition to the Ph+ translocation. Many of these changes have no impact on prognosis, although children with an abnormality of chromosome 17 may have a slightly worse prognosis.