Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (synonyms: acute myeloblastic leukemia; ICD-10-GM C92-0-: Acute myeloid leukemia; ICD-10-GM C92.4-: Acute promyelocytic leukemia; ICD-10-GM C92.5-: Acute myelomonocytic leukemia; ICD-10-GM C93.0-: Acute monocytic leukemia; ICD-10-GM C94.0-: Acute erythremia and erythroleukemia; ICD-10-GM C94.2-: Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia) is a malignant neoplasm of the hematopoietic system (hemoblastosis). It is a disease of the hematopoietic stem cell (self-renewing cell that can give rise to cells of different lineages (e.g., myeloid and lymphoid lineages)), particularly the myeloid-determined stem cell.
In children, it is the second most common cancer. In adults, AML is the most common form of leukemia, accounting for approximately 80%.
Sex ratio: males to females is balanced. In children, the sex ratio of boys to girls is 1.1: 1.
Peak incidence: The peak incidence of acute myeloid leukemia is predominantly at older ages (> 60 years). The median age at diagnosis is 70-72 years. The maximum incidence of acute myeloid leukemia in children is in the first two years and then has a slight increase from 13 years of age. The median age at diagnosis in children is 7.9 years.
The incidence (frequency of new cases) in adults is 2.5-3.7 cases per 100,000 population per year (in Germany). In children (< 15 years), the incidence is 0.7 diseases per 100,000 inhabitants per year.
Course and prognosis: Acute leukemia develops rapidly. Characteristic of acute leukemia are severe symptoms such as fatigue, tiredness, loss of appetite, tendency to bleed, etc.. In this disease, the immune system is severely weakened, so patients are very susceptible to infections. If the disease is not treated, it leads to death after a few weeks due to infections or bleeding. The older the age and general condition of the affected person, the worse the prognosis.
In adult AML patients (18-60 years), complete remission (CR) is achieved in about 70-80% and long-term leukemia-free survival is possible in about 25-35% of patients.Once therapy is completed, long-term follow-up is a priority to detect early recurrence (recurrence of the disease).
The 5-year survival rate is approximately 22.8%. The prognosis is thus less favorable than that of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, for children, the five-year survival rate is now approximately 70%.