Subtypes of Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia
There are different subtypes of
AML. The subtypes of adult acute myeloid
leukemia are based on:
- The type of blood cell that is affected
- How mature (developed) the cancer cells are at the time of diagnosis
- How different they are from normal cells.
The treatment for most subtypes of adult acute myeloid leukemia is similar. However, acute promyelocytic leukemia, which is one subtype of AML, is treated differently from other types of AML.
Risk Factors of Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia
No one knows the exact causes of adult acute myeloid leukemia, and doctors can seldom explain why one person will get adult acute myeloid leukemia and another person will not. However,
leukemia research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop AML. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease.
- Being male
- Smoking, especially after age 60
- Having had treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy in the past
- Having had treatment for childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in the past
- Being exposed to atomic bomb radiation or the chemical benzene
- Having a history of a blood disorder such as myelodysplastic syndrome.
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