Claim: Leukemia causes symptoms.

Acute myeloid leukemia -LRB- AML -RRB- is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells , characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that build up 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 under 60 years old and 5 -- 15 % over 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 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 -LRB- CML -RRB- in part because the cellular differentiation is not the same ; AML involves higher percentages of dedifferentiated and undifferentiated cells , including more blasts -LRB- myeloblasts , monoblasts , and megakaryoblasts -RRB- .