Make Entry -- Become an Editor -- Most Popular: (10, 25, 50, 75, 100)

   Help

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer of myeloid white blood cells in which abnormal cells proliferate rapidly, accumulate in bone marrow, and interfere with normal creation of healthy blood cells. This type of leukemia is the most common blood cancer to strike adults, with an incidence that increases as patients age.

In acute myeloid leukemia, normal bone marrow is slowly replaced with unhealthy leukemic cells, which causes a drop in all blood cells created by bone marrow, including red and white blood cells and platelets. This disease progresses rapidly, and if left untreated will be fatal in weeks or months. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, weight loss, shortness of breath, anemia, easy bruising, petechiae, bone and joint pain, and persistent infections.

This disease is potentially curable, but only a few patients are successfully cured with current therapies, which include chemotherapy to stabilize and remiss the cancer, then administration of a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Among the causes of acute myeloid leukemia are exposure to anti-cancer chemotherapy, ionizing radiation, and exposure to certain chemicals. Certain congenital defects, like Down Syndrome, are also implicated in the genesis of this leukemia.

Web Resources On Acute Myeloid Leukemia

General Information About Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Myelocytic Leukemia

Book Resources On Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia by Parker & Parker (Eds),
RAS pathway activation in the development of myeloproliferative disorders and acute myeloid leukemia by Stephen Michael Wiesner

Site Maps: Most Recent | Clusters | Browse
New: Graduate Student Job Opportunity