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

The NBA's all-time leading scorer tells The Associated Press that he was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia.

The 62-year-old Abdul-Jabbar says doctors told him he has a ``very good'' chance of living a full life without making any drastic changes. He is taking an oral medication for the disease.

Abdul-Jabbar says he went for tests last year after getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis. He says he's speaking out now to help raise awareness about the blood cancer.

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About 5,000 cases of chronic myeloid leukemia are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year.

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