acute myeloid leukaemia

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Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a heterogeneous clonal disorder characterised by the arrest of differentiation of the progenitor cells (“blasts”) coupled with an accumulation of immature progenitors in the bone marrow, resulting in hematopoietic failure (1).

AML is generally a disease of older adults - median age at diagnosis between 65 and 70 year of age
after age 5-10, every year of age worsens the prognosis for patients with AML
AML in older individuals is a more recalcitrant disease
- the disease tends to be less proliferative with average bone marrow blast counts of 20% in those older than 60 and 40% in those younger than 60. When compared with those younger than 56, those older than 56 are less likely to have favorable cytogenetics (16% vs. 5%) and more likely to have unfavorable cytogenetics (33% vs. 50%)

Reference:

(1) Pollyea DA, Kohrt HE, Medeiros BC. Acute myeloid leukaemia in the elderly: a review. Br J Haematol. 2011 Mar;152(5):524-42
(2) Blood Rev. 2008 Nov;22(6):311-20

Last reviewed 01/2018

Links:

epidemiology of acute myeloid leukaemia
incidence of acute leukaemia
aetiology
classification
clinical features of AML
investigations
diagnostic features
differential diagnosis
treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia
prognosis of AML
urgent referral for suspected leukaemia
therapy related acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)

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acute myeloid leukaemia