Quick Links
For Patients

© Copyright 2023 American TelePhysicians. All rights reserved.
Hematologist
Hematology and Oncology
Family Medicine
Hematology and Oncology
Family Medicine
Family Medicine
AML develops when bone marrow cells' genetic material (DNA) changes. The cause of these genetic changes has yet to be discovered. The DNA of a cell includes the information that tells it what to do. Usually, the cell's DNA directs it to grow at a specific rate and die at a particular time. The cell mutations in AML tell the bone marrow cell to keep growing and dividing. Blood cell production becomes uncontrollable as a result of this. The bone marrow creates immature cells that develop into leukemic white blood cells with myeloblasts. These abnormal cells can accumulate and crowd out healthy cells because they cannot operate properly.
The French-American-British (FAB) classification and World Health Organization (WHO) classification are two of the most common approaches for classifying AML into subtypes which are:
Some of the factors may increase your chances of developing AML.
Increasing age: AML becomes more common as people get older. Adults 65 and older are more likely to develop AML.
Sex: AML is more common in men than it is in women.
Cancer treatment in the past: AML is more likely to occur in people who have received specific chemotherapy or radiation therapy types.
Radiation exposure: AML is more likely to develop in people exposed to high quantities of radiation.
Chemical exposure and poisoning: Exposure to certain dangerous chemicals such as benzene has been related to an increased risk of AML.
Smoking: AML has been related to cancer-causing substances found in cigarette smoke.
Other Blood Disorders: AML is more likely to occur in those with other blood diseases, such as myelodysplasia, myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, or thrombocythemia.
Genetic Disorders: Down syndrome and other congenital abnormalities are linked to an increased risk of AML.
The following are some of the signs and symptoms of AML:
Your doctor may use a variety of methods to diagnose AML and determine which subtype you have:
Differential Diagnosis
You may have complications if you have Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The condition itself can cause these, or they can happen due to treatment.
AML can be treated in a variety of ways, including:
The treatment you receive is often determined by the subtype of AML you have. Treatment usually consists of two stages:
Drugs that target specific regions of cancer cells have been developed in recent years. Targeted medications differ from regular chemotherapy (chemo) drugs in how they function and cause side effects. They can be beneficial even when chemo isn't, or they can be administered in conjunction with chemo to improve its effectiveness. Certain people with acute myeloid leukemia may be prescribed some of these medicines.
If you have been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), it is important to understand that the prognosis can vary widely depending on several factors, such as your age, overall health, and the specific genetic and molecular characteristics of the leukemia cells.
In general, younger patients with AML tend to have a better prognosis than older patients, as do patients who are otherwise in good health and have no other underlying medical conditions. Additionally, the subtype of AML and certain genetic mutations can impact the prognosis.
It is important to work closely with your healthcare team to understand your individual prognosis and develop a personalized treatment plan that takes into account all of these factors. With advances in treatment options and supportive care, many patients with AML are able to achieve remission and live longer, healthier lives.
Our clinical experts continually monitor the health and medical content posted on CURA4U, and we update our blogs and articles when new information becomes available. Last reviewed by Dr.Saad Zia on May 10, 2023.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/acute-myeloid-leukemia/about/what-is-aml.html
https://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/adult-aml-treatment-pdq
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a kind of acute leukemia (cancers of blood cells) that affects a group of white blood cells called myeloid cells, which develop into several mature blood cells such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. "Acute" means that if the leukemia isn't treated, it will likely worsen quickly. AML causes abnormal myeloblasts (a kind of white blood cell), red blood cells, or platelets to form in the bone marrow. When abnormal cells crowd out healthy cells, infection, anemia, and frequent bleeding can occur. The abnormal cells can also move to other body sections outside the bloodstream.
AML can be divided into various subtypes. The subtypes are determined by how far the cancer cells have progressed and how different they are from normal cells at the time of diagnosis.