China sets up first CML molecular testing platform

The first-ever standardized molecular testing platform for chronic myelogenous leukemia has been set up on the Chinese mainland to help facilitate accurate diagnosis and drug therapy.

CML is a cancer of the white blood cells, according to medical experts. It is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of predominantly myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in the blood.

Of all adult leukemia cases in China, CML accounts for between 15 and 20 percent, and most of the patients are around 50 years old, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health.

"Given that molecular monitoring matters a lot to effective CML treatment, the latest platform now comprising 10 major hospitals across the mainland will help standardize the testing method, enhance its accuracy and improve the treatment of the cancer," said professor Huang Xiaojun of the Peking University People's Hospital, who heads the hospital's Institute of Hematology.

Molecular testing results at one hospital couldn't be recognized by others due to varied testing methods, Huang said.

He said the platform would help standardize the testing, and the results would be used by all partner hospitals.

"That could help prevent repeated testing for patients," he added. The testing costs about 500 yuan ($80) to 600 yuan ($96).

He also expects that another 10 hospitals will be covered by the platform within the year.