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Hematologic Malignancies Program

Patient and Family Education

Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia

What is Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia?

Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disease in which cancerous cells develop in the blood and bone marrow. AML is also called acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside the large bones in the body. Bone marrow cells are produced by immature immortal stem cells. These stem cells produce slightly more mature cells called blasts that develop (mature) into the following types of blood cells that have specific jobs to do in the body:

• Red blood cells carry oxygen and other materials to all tissues of the body.
• White blood cells fight infection.
• Platelets make the blood clot.

Adult acute myeloid leukemia affects the blasts that are developing into white blood cells called granulocytes. In adult acute myeloid leukemia, the blasts do not mature and become too numerous. These immature blast cells are then found in the blood and the bone marrow.

The disease progresses quickly, and treatment is different for adults than for children.

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

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