Studies from the National Cancer Institute place the average life expectancy for people with leukemia at 72 years for men and 78 years for women. The National CML Society states that the life expectancy for those with leukemia is measured in decades, and even matches that of the general population.
Early estimates of those diagnosed with leukemia gave only 3 to 7 years of survival, according to the National CML Society.
Leukemia is a genetic disease with the vast majority of those diagnosed not showing a genetic link. The National CML Society states that one in 599 people are diagnosed with CML, with about 4,800 diagnosed each year in the United States. While there is not a cure for this type of cancer, it is very treatable.
