What is Leukemia?

What is Acute Myeloid Leukemia?

"All this science, I don't understand." Rocket Man, Elton John, 1972

It is a cancer of the bone marrow and the blood
It is most often found in white blood cells
Most frequently divided into categories by fast growing (acute), slow growing (chronic), whether it starts in the myeloid cells or in the lymphoid cells
There are six primary types, some more common (treatable) than others: Leukemia in Children, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), Chronic Myelomonocytic (CMML), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in Adults (ALL), Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

For more information on Leukemia: see RESOURCES

It is one of the six primary types of Leukemia
It is a cancer of the bone marrow and the blood
Affects mostly cells that aren't fully developed so these cells can't carry out their normal functions
It is the most common form of Leukemia in adults
Diagnosed early, it is easily treatable with a high survival rate

For more information on AML: see RESOURCES

AML with the Philadelph Chromosome

It is a cancer of the bone marrow and the blood
It is a variant of AML
It grows rapidly, and left untreated, death can follow in a matter of weeks
It is the least common form of Leukemia
Many of the of the most effective drugs are classified as "experimental" by insurance companies due to the lack of data
Chemotherapy can only slow the growth rate
A stem cell transplant is the only proven treatment for long term remission

For more information on AML + the Philadelphia Chromosome: see RESOURCES