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Acute
Myeloid
Leukemia
Acute
myeloid
leukemia
(AML), also
known as
acute
myelogenous
leukemia, is
a cancer of
the myeloid
line of
white blood
cells,
characterized
by the rapid
proliferation
of abnormal
cells which
accumulate
in the bone
marrow and
interfere
with the
production
of normal
blood cells.
AML is the
most common
acute
leukemia
affecting
adults, and
its
incidence
increases
with age.
Although AML
is a
relatively
rare
disease,
accounting
for
approximately
1.2% of
cancer
deaths in
the United
States, its
incidence is
expected to
increase as
the
population
ages.
The symptoms
of AML are
caused by
replacement
of normal
bone marrow
with
leukemic
cells,
resulting in
a drop in
red blood
cells,
platelets,
and normal
white blood
cells. These
symptoms
include
fatigue,
shortness of
breath, easy
bruising and
bleeding,
and
increased
risk of
infection.
Although
several risk
factors for
AML have
been
identified,
the specific
cause of AML
remains
unclear. As
an acute
leukemia,
AML
progresses
rapidly and
is typically
fatal within
weeks or
months if
left
untreated.
Acute
myeloid
leukemia is
a
potentially
curable
disease; but
only a
minority of
patients are
cured with
current
therapy. AML
is treated
initially
with
chemotherapy
aimed at
inducing a
remission;
some
patients may
go on to
receive a
hematopoietic
stem cell
transplant.
Areas of
active
research in
acute
myeloid
leukemia
include
further
elucidation
of the cause
of AML,
identification
of better
prognostic
indicators,
development
of new
methods of
detecting
residual
disease
after
treatment,
and the
development
of new drugs
and targeted
therapies. |
