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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the bone marrow and the blood that progresses rapidly without treatment. AML mostly affects cells that aren’t fully developed, leaving these cells unable to carry out their normal functions. It can be a difficult disease to treat; researchers are studying new approaches to AML therapy in clinical trials. Other things you should know about AML:
- It's important to speak to your doctor about the best treatment option for you
- For some patients, AML is curable with current therapies
- Researchers are studying new approaches to therapy in clinical trials
- You should be treated by a hematologist-oncologist, a specialist who treats people with AML and other types of blood cancer
- AML in children is different from AML in adults. Learn about AML in children.
Find facts and statistics for AML and other blood cancers.
What should I do if I am diagnosed with AML?
If you are diagnosed with AML, you should:
- Choose a doctor who specializes in treating AML, known as a hematologist-oncologist. Your local cancer specialist can also work with a leukemia specialist. Learn how to choose a blood cancer specialist or treatment center.
- Talk with your doctor about your diagnostic tests and what the results mean, all of your treatment options, goals of treatment, and the results you can expect from treatment.
- Obtain and keep records of your test results and the treatment you receive as this information is useful for long-term follow-up of your condition. Find out how.
Learn more about communicating with your blood cancer specialist or find a list of suggested questions to ask your healthcare providers.
How does AML develop?
Normal stem cells form healthy blood cells such as red and white cells and platelets. AML starts with a mutation in the (DNA) of a single stem cell in the bone marrow. This changed cell becomes a leukemic cell and multiplies into billions of cells called leukemic blasts.
Leukemic blasts:
- Do not function normally
- Block the production of normal cells
- Grow and survive better than normal cells
As a result, the number of healthy blood cells is usually lower than normal, and can result in the following conditions:
- Anemia: a condition where there is a low number of red cells in the blood, which can cause fatigue and shortness of breath
- Neutropenia: a condition where there is a low number of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell), so the immune system can't effectively guard against infection
- Thrombocytopenia: a condition where there is a low number of platelets, which can cause bleeding and easy bruising with no apparent cause
- Pancytopenia: a condition resulting from low numbers of all three blood cell counts
View a 3D model of AML’s impact on the body. Click or tap the "Interact in 3D" button to begin.
Beat AML® is transforming treatment for people with acute myeloid leukemia. Find out how.
What are the risk factors for AML?
For most people who have AML, there is no known cause or obvious reasons (risk factors) why they developed the disease. You cannot catch AML from someone else.
While the cause of AML is unknown, several factors are associated with an increased risk of developing AML, including the following:
- Age: the risk of developing AML increases with age
- Sex: males are more likely than females to develop AML
- Exposure to dangerous chemicals: long-term exposure to high levels of certain chemicals, such as benzene, is linked to a greater risk of AML
- Smoking: AML is linked to exposure to tobacco smoke, which contains benzene and other cancer-causing agents
- Previous cancer treatment: people who received radiation therapy or chemotherapy have an increased risk of developing AML, called "treatment-related" or "therapy-related" AML
- Exposure to very high doses of radiation: people exposed to very high levels of radiation are at increased risk of developing AML (for example, survivors of an atomic bomb blast or a nuclear reactor accident)
- Other blood cancers: certain blood disorders, such as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), can evolve over time into AML
- Genetic disorders: genetic disorders present at birth that seem to increase the risk of AML include Down syndrome, Fanconi anemia, Shwachman syndrome, and Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA)
- Familial risk/germline predisposition: certain gene mutations present at birth may increase the risk of developing AML
Source: Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Adults. Reviewed by Firas El Chaer, MD, MSHCM.
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