Synonyms
Acute myeloid leukemia; AML
Definition
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a form of cancer of the white blood cells (leukocytes). It is a relatively rare cancer that occurs more commonly in adults than in children, with more men affected than women. The median age at diagnosis is 63 years.
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Symptoms
Acute forms of leukemia are characterized by the rapid proliferation of immature blood cells which rapidly crowd out mature, functional cells. In AML, the cell type is granuloid, whose cancerous change disrupts its normal ability to form red cells, some types of white cells, and platelets. Resulting symptoms are anemia, easy bruising and bleeding, and disruption to the body’s ability to resist infection. Impaired cognition and fatigue are also strongly associated with AML. Whereas impairments in these areas have been attributed to effects of chemotherapy, recent research by Meyers, Albitar, and Estey (2005) has identified differing cytokine levels present prior...
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Meyers, C. A., Albitar, M., & Estey, E. (2005). Cognitive impairment, fatigue, and cytokine levels in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. Cancer, 104, 788–793.
Pui, C.-H. (2003). Treatment of acute leukemias: New directions for clinical research. New York: Humana Press.
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Cunningham, J.L. (2018). Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_86
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_86
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