Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a type of cancer that affects the blood stem cells. It is a rapid-growing cancer of the blood and the bone marrow. In AML, the white blood cells (WBCs) do not develop completely but multiply in large number. These immature WBCs crowd the bone marrow, preventing it from making normal red blood cells and platelets that body needs. This causes the body lose its immunity and making more it vulnerable to disease.

Causes and Risk factors:

It happens when the DNA of the developing cells in bone marrow is damaged but the cause for this damage is unknown.

There are some factors which may increase your chances in getting AML.
                                               

Please note that having one or more risk factors does not mean you will 100% get AML. People with no such factors have also developed AML. The following is only a guide to say what may cause and may lower the risk of developing.

• Smoking: The most common cause for any cancer is smoking. It increases the chances by double or triple but decreases if you stop it.

                                               

• Chemotherapy: Patients who have had the treatment for chemotherapy have slightly increased risk that may lead to AML many years later. The risk chance decreases as time passes since the treatment.

                      

• Electromagnetic Radiation: There are some studies which show that exposure to high levels of EMR may increase the risk. This is not conclusive as the cause might not be the exposure but some other factor because very few people are exposed to high level of radiation.

• Blood disorders: People with the blood disorder are most likely to develop AML than people without the disorder.

                                     

Treatment for AML:

The most typical treatment is chemotherapy. For some patients this treatment alone may bring long term remission where the patient is symptom free. But for others this may not suffice. These patients might need a bone marrow transplant in their early stage for a long-term remission or probably a cure.

Some of the patients of our support group have provided valuable information regarding the treatment for AML. It is as follows-

1. Positive feedback on BLK Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi.Name of the doctor-Dr Dharma director of Haemato Oncology.
2. One of our member’s parent has successfully undergone bone marrow transplant from Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre. The hospital also helps the patients in getting a match from the registries for stem cell transplant.
3. Tata Medical Center(TMC),Kolkatta  and Tata memorial Hospital(TMH), Mumbai are also a good option.

The above feedback is given by the members of our patients support community. Please take your choice wisely after reading 

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Author- Akshith Vijaykumar