What is "acute myeloid leukemia"

n. acute leukemia characterized by proliferation of granular leukocytes; most common in adolescents and young adults [syn: acute myelocytic leukemia]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), also known as acute myelogenous leukemia or acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that 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 roughly 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, which causes 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. Several risk factors and chromosomal abnormalities have been identified, but the specific cause is not clear. As an acute leukemia, AML progresses rapidly and is typically fatal within weeks or months if left untreated.

AML has several subtypes; treatment and prognosis vary among subtypes. AML is cured in 35–40% of people less than 60 years old and 5–15% more than 60 years old. Older people who are not able to withstand intensive chemotherapy have an average survival of 5–10 months.

AML is treated initially with chemotherapy aimed at inducing a remission; people may go on to receive additional chemotherapy or a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Recent research into the genetics of AML has resulted in the availability of tests that can predict which drug or drugs may work best for a particular person, as well as how long that person is likely to survive. The treatment and prognosis of AML differ from those of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in part because the cellular differentiation is not the same; AML involves higher percentages of dedifferentiated and undifferentiated cells, including more blasts ( myeloblasts, monoblasts, and megakaryoblasts).