ACUTE MYLEOID LEUKAEMIA
ABOUT ACUTE MYLEOID LEUKAEMIA
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a rare type of cancer. Acute myeloid leukaemia can affect adults of all ages, but is more common in people over 60. Apart from children, AML is rare in people under 20. Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells.
Acute myeloid leukaemia is an overproduction of immature myeloid white blood cells. The immature cells are sometimes referred to as blast cells. Normally, white blood cells repair and reproduce themselves in an orderly and controlled way. In leukaemia, however, the process gets out of control and the cells continue to divide, but do not mature. These immature, dividing white cells fill up the bone marrow and prevent it from making any healthy blood cells.
As the bone marrow becomes full of immature, leukaemic white blood cells, some of them 'spill over' into the blood and circulate around the body in the bloodstream. As the leukaemia cells do not mature, they cannot work properly, which leads to an increased risk of infection. The bone marrow is also unable to make enough healthy red blood cells and platelets, and so symptoms such as anaemia and bruising also occur.
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