Acute monocytic leukemia (AML) is a form of cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood. Blood cells and platelets are produced in the bone marrow. In a person with AML, immature cells are released into the blood before they develop into white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets. These immature cells are called blasts. When 20 percent or higher of cells are blasts, a person is said to have AML.
Induction Therapy
The first step in treating AML is to begin high dose chemotherapy as soon as possible. This chemotherapy may also be administered in conjunction with radiation. These forms of therapy are referred to as induction therapy, which is a medical term that means the treatment is designed to kill cancer cells. For patients with AML, induction therapy is done on an in-patient basis in a hospital. The therapies are administered over a period of 3 to 4 weeks. If all the abnormal/ cancerous cells are killed, the patient is said to be in remission.
Consolidation Therapy
AML is a very difficult cancer to treat, because even when a person appears to be in remission, they may not be. Some AML cells usually remain in the body that can't be detected by medical tests. So, even if induction appeared to work, a patient still can't leave the hospital until consolidation therapy is complete. Consolidation therapy usually involves more chemotherapy, followed by a stem cell transplant. Some patients can only have a stem cell transplant if they have an allogeneic donor--a perfectly matched donor. Stem cell transplants are risky, and should only be performed by doctors experienced in treating AML patients.
Follow up Care
Patients who enter into remission after consolidation therapy still need to have routine follow up visits to ensure that no relapse occurs. Relapses are relatively common in AML patients, and patients can usually be treated with the same high doses of chemotherapy, followed by bone marrow transplants.
Tags: bone marrow, blood cells, cell transplant, cells platelets, chemotherapy followed, consolidation therapy