HOMS holds awareness talk on Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia

CML is a type of cancer that starts in the blood stem cells of the bone marrow.

Santiago. The HOMS Foundation ran its awareness programme on Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) to educate people about the importance of preventing this disease.

The main lecture was given by Dr. Liliana Fernández, who outlined the most important aspects of CML, as well as its diagnosis, treatments and medical advances.

According to Dr. Fernández, many of the signs of CML appear because leukaemia cells crowd out the healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the bone marrow.

She said the prognosis for patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia has improved since BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were introduced as initial treatment, so that life expectancy is now close to that of the general population.

Symptoms of the disease include weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath during basic daily activities, fever, bone pain, unexplained weight loss and a feeling of fullness below the ribs due to an enlarged spleen, among others.

Manuel Alejandro Estévez, a CML patient at the HOMS Foundation, shared his experience of how he has managed to remain stable and expressed his gratitude for all the support he has received.

Mr. Estévez spoke about his experience since the age of 11, when he was diagnosed with the chronic disease.

“I had chemo, and while I was going through it I felt like I was burning inside. Now I’m 24 and I lead a stable life thanks to the HOMS specialists. I have two children and I’m currently working,” he said.

During the event, Evelyn Dubocq presented the book “Javier, estás sano” (“Javier, you’re healthy”), inspired by her son. She noted that proceeds from its sales go to HOMS Foundation patients.

About HOMS

HOMS is a pioneer in robotic surgery in the Dominican Republic and holds international accreditation from Accreditation Canada (ACI) as a guarantee of safety and quality of care, positioning it as the leader in health tourism in the north of the country.