Acute Myeloid/Myelogenous Leukaemia (AML)

Author: Dipl.-Biol. Maria Yiallouros, erstellt 2006/04/14, Editor: Dr. med. Ralf Herold, Reviewer: Prof. Dr. med. Ursula Creutzig, English Translation: Heidi Krumland, Last modification: 2006/10/30 , Kurz-URL: www.kinderkrebsinfo.de/AML

Leukaemias are malignant diseases of the bone marrow. With about 33% of all malignant diseases they are the most common cancers in childhood and adolescence. Whereas the acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most frequently occurring type of leukaemias among children and young adults, the acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) ranks second. It accounts for 4.9% of all malignancies. The following text on acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is intended for patients and their families and should help to explain the characteristics of this disease and the corresponding treatment options.

The acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), also known as acute non-lymphoblastic leukaemia, is a malignant disease of the bone marrow. According to data from the German Childhood Cancer Registry in Mainz, about 90 children and adolescents between 0 and 14 years are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in Germany each year. The number of newly diagnosed AML patients per year in the age group of up to 18 years is about 110. AML can occur at any age, particularly in adults, and its incidence increases with age. Among children and adolescents, however, the group of infants up to two years has the highest incidence. Boys are slightly more prone to be affected by AML than girls [KAA2005‎].

AML is a rapidly progressive disease and, if untreated, the leukaemic cells proliferate throughout the body within a short time. They disrupt the normal production of blood cells in the bone marrow, damage organs and will consequently result in severe diseases which – if they remain untreated – will lead to death within a few weeks or months.

The prognosis for AML is less favourable than for the ALL. Nevertheless, once AML has been diagnosed, one should not lose hope, because the treatment of AML has improved markedly during the past 25 years. Whereas the disease’s progress could hardly be influenced in the 1960s and 1970s, nowadays modern diagnostic methods, standardised treatment concepts (combination chemotherapy) and improved supportive care regimens make it possible to cure almost 60 % of the affected children [KAA2005‎]. Physicians and researchers hope to achieve better cure rates by further improving therapy.

Information on the acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: [YIA2006‎].

Explanatory Note Regarding the Text

The text was written based on the bibliography listed below and on the updated guidelines for treatment of children and adolescents with AML (therapy optimising trials AML-BFM 2004 and AML-Rezidiv 2001). Further bibliographic information is cited in the text. The text was reviewed by the above-mentioned editors on 12 September 2006 and has been approved for publication on the Internet for the period of one year. It is intended to be revised and updated each year.

References

[KAA2005] Kaatsch P, Spix C: Jahresbericht 2004 des Deutschen Kinderkrebsregisters. Technischer Bericht, Universität Mainz 2005 [URI: http://www.kinderkrebsregister.de/]

[YIA2006] Yiallouros M, Misbach E, Schrappe M, Janka-Schaub G, Henze G: Akute lymphoblastische Leukämie (ALL). kinderkrebsinfo.de 14.04.2006 [DOI: 10.1591/poh.patinfo.all.1.20060414]