Hematologic Malignancies Program

Patient and Family Education

Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Adult acute myeloid leukemia is often difficult to diagnose. The American Cancer Society estimates that 13,290 new cases of acute myeloid leukemia will be diagnosed in 2008. The early signs may be similar to the flu or other common diseases. A person should see a doctor if he or she experiences the following signs or symptoms and they won't go away: fever, weakness or tiredness, aching in the bones or joints, easy bruising or bleeding, shortness of breath, headache, or chest pain.

The doctor may order blood tests to find out the number of each of the different kinds of blood cells. If the results of the blood tests are not normal, a doctor may do a bone marrow biopsy. During this test, a needle is inserted into a bone and a small amount of bone marrow is taken out and looked at under the microscope. The doctor can then tell what kind of leukemia is present and plan the best treatment.

The chance of recovery (prognosis) depends on the type of adult acute myeloid leukemia and the patient's age and general health.

This page was last updated on: October 7, 2009.