Abdul-Jabbar has rare form of leukemia

[RockaFowler]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4640518

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is being treated for a rare form of leukemia, and the basketball great said his prognosis is encouraging.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia, he told The Associated Press on Monday.

The 62-year-old Abdul-Jabbar said his doctor didn't give any guarantees, but informed him: "You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle."

Abdul-Jabbar is taking an oral medication for the disease. He is a paid spokesman for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, which makes a drug that treats the illness.



Good luck Kareem :(

[joeybee12]

1. Aw, that sucks...I wish him well...

Prognosis sounds encouraging, which is good.

[TZ]

4. FYI...CML is related to what I have.

Some people think that what I have is "pre-leukemia" actually. I will be keeping a close eye on this story I assure you.

[Auggie]

2. From the Mayo Clinic:

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is an uncommon type of cancer of the blood cells. The term "chronic" in chronic myelogenous leukemia indicates that this cancer tends to progress more slowly than acute forms of leukemia. The term "myelogenous" in chronic myelogenous leukemia refers to the type of cells affected by this cancer.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia can also be called chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic granulocytic leukemia. Chronic myelogenous leukemia typically affects older adults and rarely occurs in children, though it can occur at any age.

About 4,800 people are diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia each year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

LINK: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chronic-myelogenous-leukemia/DS00564

[Forkboy]

3. Good luck, Kareem.

You may have been a Laker, but even this Celtics fan thinks you were the shit.

[KamaAina]

5. One of the true greats.

Off the court, too.

Oh, by the way, I'll bet plenty of the "Obama is a secret Muslin who was born in Kenya which makes him a British subject" crowd would agree.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. ()

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