Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Leucemia promielocítica
Promyelocytic leukemia (PROH-MY-eh-loh-SIH-tik loo-KEE-mee-uh)
An aggressive (fast-growing) type of acute myeloid leukemia in which there are too many immature blood-forming cells in the blood and bone marrow. It is usually marked by an exchange of parts of chromosomes 15 and 17. Also called acute promyelocytic leukemia and APL.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.