Acute Mieloblastic Leukemia

Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) is a type of blood cancer that prevents bone marrow from producing a group of adult white blood cells from the myeloid series. Mieloid is a type of white blood cell that plays a role in fighting infection and preventing damage to body tissues. This type of cancer is called acute because cancer cells grow very fast or aggressive.
Acute myeloblastic leukemia is characterized by a large number of myeloblasts, precursors of immature myeloid white blood cells. This cancer is also called acute myeloid leukemia or acute myeloid leukemia.

Causes of Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia

Acute myeloblastic leukemia is caused by mutations or changes in DNA that occur in stem cells or blood stems in the bone marrow. This condition interferes with the function of the bone marrow in the production of healthy blood cells. In contrast, bone marrow produces immature and unhealthy blood cells. The immature blood cells grow quickly, then push back and replace healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. This makes patients vulnerable to various types of infections.

Several factors increase the risk of developing acute myelogenous leukemia:

• Ages 65+
• Male sex.
• Active or passive smokers.
• Exposure to hazardous chemicals such as benzene or fomalin.
• The immune system is weakened, for example after an organ transplant.
• Blood disorders, such as myelodysplasia syndrome and thrombocytosis.
• Have genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome.
• Have undergone chemotherapy and radiation therapy before.

Symptoms of acute myeloblastic leukemia
Early acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) has flu-like symptoms, such as fever, loss of appetite, and night sweats. If leukemia cells have spread to other parts of the body, symptoms that may appear are:

• Joint and bone pain.
• Blurred vision.
• Balance changed.
• Bruises or rashes that appear easily on the skin.
• Convulsions.
• Nosebleed.
• Swollen or bleeding gums.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, groin or armpits.

Diagnosis of acute myeloblastic leukemia
The doctor may suspect a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia if the symptoms are strengthened by physical examination. But to be more secure, additional checks are sometimes needed. Among others are:

• Blood tests, including a complete blood count test to check the number of white blood cells in the body and peripheral blood smear to check the shape and size of white blood cells and detect immature white blood cells.
• Bone marrow aspiration, examination of bone marrow tissue samples. Acute myeloblastic leukemia can be diagnosed in patients if 20% or more of the blood cells in the bone marrow are immature.
• Lumbar puncture is an examination of cerebrospinal fluid samples, which surround the brain and spinal cord, to detect cancer cells.
• Imaging tests to detect infections or other disorders caused by acute myeloblastic leukemia. The types of imaging tests performed are as follows:
• Ultrasonography, to detect swelling of the liver, lymph nodes, spleen and kidney.
• X-rays, to detect infections that occur in the lungs.
• Scan to show whether acute myeloblastic leukemia causes enlargement of the spleen and lymph nodes
• Genetic testing, to detect and examine changes that occur in chromosomes in cells. This test is also used to determine the treatment steps and treatments to be followed.

Treatment of acute myeloblastic leukemia

The treatment steps for Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia (AML) consist of two stages, namely:

• Stage 1 - remission induction treatment. At this stage, the patient will undergo chemotherapy to destroy as many cancer cells and bone marrow as possible. This treatment phase usually lasts 3 to 5 weeks, and is adjusted to the patient's condition and the severity of the cancer. However, because chemotherapy generally cannot eliminate all leukemia cells, additional treatments must be applied to prevent the reappearance of leukemia cells.
• Stage 2 - consolidation or post-remission treatment. The treatment phase consists of destroying leukemia cells that are left behind or left behind during the first stage of chemotherapy. Some treatments can be carried out at this stage, namely:
• Advanced chemotherapy, done if the first phase of chemotherapy removes most cancer cells. Chemotherapy is done to eliminate the remaining cells and prevent recurrence.
• Bone marrow transplantation is a procedure to renew and repair bone marrow by inserting healthy blood stem cells into the body to restore the function of bone marrow in the production of healthy blood cells. Healthy blood stem cells can come from the patient himself (autologous) or from other people's donors (allogeneic).
• Target therapy, which involves the use of drugs to stop the development and spread of cancer cells.
• Research stage. If the chemotherapy and transplant methods are ineffective and the cancer cells reappear, the doctor will provide information about the treatment method being investigated. Patients are encouraged to consider first because this method does not guarantee patient recovery. This treatment method includes the use of drugs or combinations of immunotherapy drugs or other types of anticancer drugs.

Complications of acute myeloblastic leukemia

Some complications that may occur due to acute myoblastic leukemia (AML), namely:

• Immune system disorders. The most common complication occurs in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia. This disease can be caused by the disease itself or by side effects from drugs used during chemotherapy.
• Bleeding. Acute myeloblastic leukemia makes the body more susceptible to bruising and bleeding due to thrombocytopenia. Bleeding can occur in the stomach, lungs and brain.
• Leukostasis occurs when the number of white blood cells in the blood is very high (> 50,000 / blood). Leukostasis triggers the clotting of white blood cells, which can cause blockage of blood vessels and disruption of oxygen delivery to body cells. This condition causes dysfunction of various organs of the body, including the brain and lungs. Chemotherapy and leukapheresis can reduce the number of circulating white blood cells in the body.

In addition to AML complications, treatment can also cause complications. Patients who have undergone high-dose chemotherapy will experience infertility or infertility.
Prevention of acute myeloblastic leukemia

Measures to prevent acute myeloblastic leukemia are not known so far. Nevertheless, there are several

• Quit smoking.
• Avoid exposure to hazardous chemicals such as benzene, fomalin, and pesticides. If you work in an environment that is vulnerable to chemical exposure, always use personal protective equipment (PPE) to limit exposure.
• Consumption of nutritious foods.
• Exercise regularly.

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