what is aml cancer

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. It is a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood, and if left untreated, it can be life-threatening. AML develops when the bone marrow makes a large number of abnormal blood cells, which can quickly move into the blood and spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, central nervous system, and testicles. The different types of AML are based on how mature the cancer cells are at the time of diagnosis and how different they are from normal cells. The early signs and symptoms of AML may be like those caused by the flu or other common diseases, such as weakness, fever, infection, paleness or loss of normal skin color, and bleeding. The risk factors for AML include previous cancer treatment, exposure to radiation, dangerous chemical exposure, smoking, other blood disorders, and genetic disorders. The main treatments for AML are chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The goal of treatment is to put AML into complete remission, which means tests show normal blood counts and pathologists dont see cancerous cells when they examine the bone marrow sample under a microscope.