Acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia is a rapidly progressing cancer of myeloid blood-forming cells, usually marked by accumulation of immature cells called blasts in bone marrow and blood.

Hematopoiesis: The process by which blood cells develop from stem and progenitor cells, chiefly in bone marrow. AML disrupts this process, preventing normal production of mature blood cells.
Complete blood count: A blood test measuring concentrations and characteristics of red cells, white cells, and platelets. Abnormal counts often prompt evaluation for AML, though they do not establish the diagnosis.
Anemia: A condition in which the blood has too few red cells or insufficient hemoglobin to carry oxygen. AML can crowd out normal red-cell production, causing fatigue and breathlessness.
Alfred-Armand-Louis-Marie Velpeau: A French surgeon who described a rapidly fatal blood disease later recognized as leukemia in 1827. His early account belongs to the history of recognizing acute leukemia as a distinct disease.
Clonal evolution: The change in the genetic composition of cell populations as mutations create and select distinct clones. AML clones can shift under treatment, altering relapse biology and drug sensitivity.
Leukemic stem cell: A self-renewing cancer cell capable of sustaining leukemia and generating its diverse cell populations. These cells can maintain AML and contribute to relapse after treatment.
Bone marrow biopsy: A procedure that samples marrow tissue to examine its cells and structure. Marrow examination measures blasts and supplies material for AML classification.
Thrombocytopenia: An abnormally low platelet count that increases the risk of bleeding. Reduced platelet production in AML can cause bruising, nosebleeds, or serious hemorrhage.
John Hughes Bennett: A Scottish physician whose 1845 report described a patient with abnormal accumulation of white blood cells. His report helped establish leukemia as a disease recognized through blood examination.
Drug resistance: The ability of cells or organisms to withstand a treatment that would otherwise inhibit or kill them. Resistance to chemotherapy and targeted drugs remains a major cause of AML treatment failure.

Linked from 15 pages