Why does leukemia kill you

Although it's highly unlikely that leukaemia is the cause, these symptoms should be investigated. If your GP thinks you may have leukaemia, they'll arrange blood tests to check your blood cell production. If the tests suggest there's a problem, you'll be urgently referred to a specialist in treating blood conditions haematologist for further tests and treatment.

It's not clear exactly what causes AML and, in most cases, there's no identifiable cause. In general, children with AML are seen as lower risk than adults.

Around 85 to 90 percent of children with AML will go into remission after induction, according to the American Cancer Society. AML will return in some cases. The five-year-survival-rate for children with AML is 60 to 70 percent. The outlook and prognosis for AML varies widely. Much of it is based on the outcomes and analysis of blood tests , imaging studies, cerebrospinal fluid CSF examinations , and bone marrow biopsies.

Some people with a poor prognosis live many more years than a doctor predicts while others may not live as long. The median age of a person diagnosed with AML is 68 years old. Age can be a major factor in determining AML treatment response.

Doctors know that survival rates for those diagnosed with AML are more promising for people who are under the age of This could be for a number of reasons. Some people older than the age of 60 may have chronic conditions or may not be in good health. This can make it difficult for their bodies to handle the strong chemotherapy medications and other cancer treatments associated with AML. A study found that only 40 percent of people 66 and up received chemotherapy within three months of diagnosis.

Someone we know was recently diagnosed with it, and two weeks later he was dead. What makes it so deadly? Can you explain acute myelogenous leukemia? Answer: Acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML, is a cancer of the blood in which immature, abnormal white blood cells grow rapidly and uncontrollably in the bone marrow and interfere with its ability to produce red blood cells, healthy white blood cells, and platelets.

It's a fairly rare cancer, with men affected more often than women. The average age of those diagnosed with AML is AML cell growth is very fast and aggressive, and it is a fatal disease within weeks or months if not diagnosed and treated promptly. You won't feel any pain during the procedure, but you may experience some bruising and discomfort for a few days afterwards. The procedure takes around 15 minutes to complete, and you shouldn't have to stay in hospital overnight. The bone marrow sample will be checked for cancerous cells.

If cancerous cells are present, the biopsy can also be used to determine the type of leukaemia you have. Additional tests can be used to reveal more information about the progress and extent of your AML. They can also provide insight into how the condition should be treated. These tests are described below. Genetic tests can be carried out on blood and bone marrow samples to identify the genetic makeup of the cancerous cells.

There are many specific genetic variations that can occur in AML, and knowing the exact type of AML you have can help doctors make decisions about the most appropriate treatment. If you have AML, a computerised tomography CT scan , X-ray or echocardiogram an ultrasound scan of the heart may be used to check that your organs, such as your heart and lungs, are healthy.

These tests are carried out because it's important for doctors to assess your general health before they can decide on the most appropriate treatment for you. In rare situations where it's thought there's a risk that AML has spread to your nervous system, a lumbar puncture may be carried out.

In this procedure, a needle is used to extract a sample of cerebrospinal fluid which surrounds and protects your spine from your back, so it can be checked for cancerous cells. If cancerous cells are found in your nervous system, you may need to have injections of chemotherapy medication directly into your cerebrospinal fluid as part of your treatment.

Acute myeloid leukaemia AML is an aggressive condition that develops rapidly, so treatment will usually begin a few days after a diagnosis has been confirmed. As AML is a complex condition, it's usually treated by a multidisciplinary team MDT — a group of different specialists working together see below.

The induction stage of treatment isn't always successful and sometimes needs to be repeated before consolidation can begin. If you have a relapse after treatment, both re-induction and consolidation may need to be carried out. This may be the same as your first treatment, although it's likely to involve different medications or a stem cell transplant see below.

If you're thought to have a high risk of experiencing complications of AML treatment — for example, if you're over 75 years of age or have another underlying health condition — less intensive chemotherapy treatment may be carried out.

This is less likely to successfully kill all of the cancerous cells in your body, but it can help control your condition. The initial treatment you have for AML will largely depend on whether you're fit enough to have intensive chemotherapy , or whether treatment at a lower dosage is recommended.

If you can have intensive induction chemotherapy, you'll usually be given a combination of chemotherapy medication at a high dose to kill the cancerous cells in your blood and bone marrow.

This stage of treatment will be carried out in hospital or in a specialist centre, as you'll need very close medical and nursing supervision. You'll have regular blood transfusions because your blood won't contain enough healthy blood cells.

You'll also be vulnerable to infection, so it's important that you're in a clean and stable environment where your health can be carefully monitored and any infection you have can be promptly treated. You may also be prescribed antibiotics to help prevent further infection. Depending on how well you respond to treatment, the induction phase can last from four weeks to a couple of months.

You may be able to leave hospital and receive treatment on an outpatient basis if your symptoms improve. For intensive treatment, the chemotherapy medications will be injected into a thin tube that's inserted either into a blood vessel near your heart central line or into your arm a peripherally inserted central catheter, or PICC. In very rare cases, chemotherapy medication may also be directly administered into your cerebrospinal fluid to kill any leukaemia cells that may have spread to your nervous system.

This is done using a needle that's placed into your spine, in a similar way to a lumbar puncture. Most side effects should resolve once treatment has finished. Tell a member of your care team if side effects become particularly troublesome, as there are medicines that can help you cope better with certain side effects.

Read more about the side effects of chemotherapy. This involves using an alternative type of chemotherapy to the standard intensive therapy, which is designed more to control leukaemia rather than cure it. The main aim of this treatment is to control the level of cancerous cells in your body and limit any symptoms you have, while reducing your risk of experiencing significant side effects of treatment.

The medications used during non-intensive chemotherapy may be given through a drip into a vein, by mouth or by injection under the skin, and can often be given on an outpatient basis. If you have the sub-type of AML known as acute promyelocytic leukaemia, you'll usually be given capsules of a medicine called ATRA, in addition to chemotherapy.

ATRA works by changing the immature white blood cells blast cells into mature healthy cells, and can reduce symptoms very quickly. Side effects of ATRA can include headaches , nausea, bone pain, and dry mouth , skin and eyes. This often involves receiving regular injections of chemotherapy medication that are usually given on an outpatient basis, which means that you won't have to stay in hospital overnight.

However, you may need some short stays in hospital if your symptoms suddenly get worse or if you develop an infection. Radiotherapy involves using high doses of controlled radiation to kill cancerous cells. There are two main reasons why radiotherapy is usually used to treat AML:. Side effects of radiotherapy can include hair loss, nausea and fatigue. The side effects should pass once your course of radiotherapy has been completed.

If chemotherapy doesn't work, a possible alternative treatment option is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Before transplantation can take place, the person receiving the transplant will need to have intensive high-dose chemotherapy and possibly radiotherapy to destroy the cells in their bone marrow. The donated stem cells are given through a tube into a blood vessel, in a similar way to chemotherapy medication.

This process can put an enormous amount of strain on the body and cause significant side effects and potential complications, so you'll usually need to stay in hospital for a few weeks.

Transplantations have better outcomes if the donor has the same tissue type as the person receiving the donation.