More than 10,000 new cases of acute myelogenous leukemia are diagnosed annually in the US,. accounting for 45 percent of all cases of leukemia. AML is more common among men than particularly over the age of 50. Although the cause of AMLis unclear, there is some evidence linking AML to radiation, benzene, and radon exposure. Persons with certain hereditary disorders such as Down's syndrome, Fanconi's anemia. Patients treated with intensive chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's Iymphoma, ovarian cancer.
Some patients experience unusual bruising.
A complete blood count and the removal of a small sample of bone marrow are necessary to accurately diagnostic leukemia. Breaks or rearrangements of chromosomes in the leukemic cells of AML patients are common and may predict how the disease will respond to treatment. The goal of induction therapy is to achieve a complete remission, ie. to eliminate all evidence of the disease. The goal of post-remission therapy is to eliminate undetected leukemic cells that linger after the patient has achieved a complete remission. A complete remission of the disease can be achieved in 70 to 80 percent of patients who have no prior history of cancer, are under the age of 65, have normal liver and renal function, and are otherwise in good health.