Acute Myeloid Leukemia – What you should know!

AML or Acute Myeloid Leukemia is one of the cancer type that occurs in bone marrow and blood-forming cells. This is acute leukemia, predominantly common among adults, and it doesn’t allow the bone marrow cells to mature. These immature buildups of cells all through the body are called blasts and it progresses very quickly unless treated immediately. Acute Myeloid Leukemia treatment is very crucial as if left unattended AML can easily spread to other organs like the liver, testicles, brain, spinal cord, lymph nodes, and blood, and become life-threatening. The use of the term “acute” is included in the name to indicate the rapid progression of AML and it is also referred to by other names like Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, Acute non-lymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Granulocytic Leukemia and Acute Myelocytic Leukemia. The AML affects the myeloid cells which can later transform into RBCs or WBCs, or platelets in the future.

Signs or symptoms of AML

The symptoms of AML can be quite similar to the common cold, flu, and other very common diseases and hence can be tough to identify. Identification of the disease is vital to discuss further the right AML treatment in India. Some of the symptoms include,

• Pain in bones
• Persistent Fever
• Fatigue and lethargic feeling
• Paleness in skin
• Infections recurring or frequenting
• Bruising easily
• Breath shortening
• Gums bleeding or nosebleed or any other unusual bleeding

If any of these symptoms persist, then you need to check with your doctor for a possible diagnosis of this disease and consider a further course of Acute Myeloid Leukemia treatment in India.

What causes AML and what risks do you need to be wary of?

The changes in the genetic mutations of the DNA in the bone marrow cells, or the myeloid cells to be specific, cause AML or Acute Myeloid Leukemia. This results in an unprecedented increase in the production of blood and also in immature WBCs called the myeloblasts that cannot function properly. There is no clear cause or reason why these genetic mutations in the DNA of the myeloid cells happen to begin with. However, if the disease is identified, it is important to decide on the right Acute Myeloid Leukemia treatment in India. As for the risk factors, there are certain risks you need to be wary of.

1. Aging is considered to be an influential factor for AML as it is found to be more common among those in the age groups 65 and above.
2. It is also found that men are more prone to contract Acute Myeloid Leukemia than women.
3. Those who have had previous therapies like radiation or chemotherapy also have an increased chance of getting AML.
4. People who have been exposed to higher radiation like those who suffered from an accident near a nuclear reactor, etc., stand a higher chance.
5. Certain chemicals like benzene can also lead to Acute Myeloid Leukemia when one is exposed to them.
6. Smoking, active or passive, is considered to cause AML as cigarettes have benzene among other carcinogens.
7. Those who have blood-related disorders like thrombocythemia, polycythemia, myelofibrosis, myelodysplasia, etc. have a higher risk of getting this disease.
8. Disorders derived genetically like Down syndrome also increases the chance of a person contracting AML.

While these are known risks associated with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, the disease also affects those who have displayed none of these risk factors. Once the disease is diagnosed, the next step is deciding on the right AML treatment in India.

Diagnosing AML and AML treatment in India

Depending on the signs or symptoms displayed by the patients, doctors would prescribe, blood tests to check the levels of platelets, WBCs, and RBCs. When these levels are not in the normal range, a bone marrow test is conducted to confirm the diagnosis. In some cases, the doctors may recommend a spinal tap to check for cancer-causing cells in the spinal fluid. The cancerous cells are further tested in the lab to determine the genetic mutation and then to advise the right Acute Myeloid Leukemia treatment in India. Apart from knowing the type of cancer, the doctor would also determine the extent of the spread and the subtype of the AML. Unlike other cancer, AML doesn’t have any stages but the seriousness of the disease is determined based on the patient’s age, health condition, and the subtype of the disease.

Treating AML

The AML treatment in India is generally classified into two phases.

1. Killing the cancerous cells in the blood and eliminating them from bone marrow under the remission induction therapy. This may not completely remove all cancer cells and would require additional therapies and treatment to combat the disease.
2. The maintenance or post-remission therapy or the consolidation therapy is a follow-up procedure used to kill any leftover cancer cells. This is very important to reduce the chance of a relapse.

Some of the therapies used as part of the Acute Myeloid Leukemia treatment in India include,

• The most common therapy used here is chemotherapy and it employs drugs, given through IV or pills or both, to remove or kill cancer cells. This procedure might also destroy healthy cells and might require hospitalization.
• Targeting the abnormalities within the cancer cells using specific drugs is done through targeted therapy. It is either done as a singular therapy or in consolidation with other therapies to kill cancer cells.
• Stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant is another option used to reestablish healthy cells in the bone marrow. This is done after a heavy dose of chemotherapy or radiation is given to destroy the bone marrow cells completely and then it is infused with healthy cells for rebuilding the bone marrow.
• Some people also enroll in clinical trials for new treatments or therapies to combat Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

The treatment would vary based on the seriousness of the disease. For further queries about Acute Myeloid treatment in India connect to Tripoheal.