Acute myelogenous leukemia is the most common type of the disease in adults, with an estimated 10,100 new cases of AML reported each year. Older people are more likely to develop AML than children. In fact, the risk for developing the disease increases about ten-fold from age 30 (1 case per 100,000) to age 70 (1 case per 10,000). The overall survival rate for children is 43 percent, compared to only 14 percent for adults.
Subtypes
The subtypes of AML are classified based on the stage of development myeloblasts have reached at the time of diagnosis.
If immature myeloblasts are the dominant cells at the time of diagnosis, the leukemia is referred to as "myeloblastic" type. If there are many myeloblasts, but some cells are beginning to develop into mature cells, the designation "with maturation" is added. If cells are developing features of monocytes, the term monocytic is applied. For those that are developing characteristics of red cells, erythroleukemia is used. Megakaryocytic leukemia cells may show a "budding" of the cytoplasm.
(Designation) - M1, (Cell Subtype) - Myeloblastic, without maturation
M2, Myeloblastic, with maturation
M3, Promyelocytic
M4, Myelomonocytic
M5, Monocytic
M6, Erythroleukemia
M7, Megakaryocytic
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