Acute Myeloid Leukemia Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Is a Cancer That Begins in the Bone Marrow, but Often Moves Into the Blood
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Acute Myeloid Leukemia Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer that begins in the bone marrow, but often moves into the blood. It can then spread to other parts of the body, such as organs and tissues.1 FACTS AND FIGURES • AML is the most common form of leukemia in adults, accounting for approximately a third of all leukemias worldwide. 2 • AML patients face the lowest survival rates of all leukemias. Only 1 in 4 adults with AML survive longer than five years.3 • In 2017, it is estimated that there will be 21,380 new cases of AML inthe U.S., most being adults.3 • In the United States, the average age of a patient with AML is about 67 years.1 RISK FACTORS • Possible risk factors for AML include the following: 5 • Being male In 2012, the • Smoking, especially after age 60 worldwide incidence • Having had treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy of AML was estimated in the past to be 351,965.4 • Having had treatment for childhood ALL in the past • Being exposed to radiation from an atomic bomb or to the chemical benzene • Having a history of a blood disorder such as myelodysplastic syndrome © 2017 Pfizer Inc. All Rights Reserved. May 2017 DIAGNOSIS • A diagnosis of AML is usually made with information from a physical exam and blood/bone marrow tests, including complete blood count, blood chemistry study, subtype and a peripheral blood smear.1 • Patients with AML may or often have symptoms including fever, shortness of breath, easy bruising or bleeding, weakness and fatigue, weight loss or loss of appetite and petechiae (flat, pinpoint spots under the skin caused by bleeding).1 PROGNOSIS & TREATMENT • The current standard of care – a chemotherapy regimen of daunorubicin and cytarabine – was established in the 1970s.6 • Acute means that this leukemia can progress quickly if not treated, and would probably be fatal in a few months.1 • Many patients will relapse within 2 years of receiving treatment.1 • Treatments under clinical investigation include antibody-drug conjugates,7 immunotherapies8 and selective inhibitors.9 • Although many investigational agents have been studied in AML over the past 30 years, there has been limited success, and patients have been left with very few treatment options. Learn how Pfizer Oncology is rising to the challenge of beating cancer here. REFERENCES 1. American Cancer Society. Acute Myeloid Leukemia – Detailed Guide. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemia-acutemyeloidaml/detailedguide/index. Accessed on April 26, 2017. 2. Deschler B et al. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Epidemiology and Etiology. Cancer. 2006. 2009-2107. 3. National Cancer Institue. Cancer Stat Facts: Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Available at https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/amyl.html. Accessed on April 26, 2017. 4. World Health Organization. 2014 Review of Cancer Medicines on the WHO List of Essential Medicines. Available at: http://www.who.int/selection_medicines/committees/ expert/20/applications/AML_APL.pdf. Accessed on April 26, 2017. 5. National Cancer Institute. Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment–Patient Version (PDQ®). Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/adult-aml-treat- ment-pdq#link/_1. Accessed on April 26, 2017. 6. Burnett A. Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia: are we making progress? American Society of Hematology. Available at: http://asheducationbook.hematologylibrary.org/ content/2012/1/1.full.pdf. Accessed on April 27, 2017. 7. Trail PA. Antibody Drug Conjugates as Cancer Therapeutics. Antibodies. 2013. 8. National Cancer Institute. CAR T-Cell Therapy: Engineering Patients’ Immune Cells to Treat Their Cancers. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/research-up- dates/2013/CAR-T-Cells. Accessed on April 27, 2017. 9. National Cancer Institute. Targeted Cancer Therapies Fact Sheet. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/targeted. Accessed on April 27, 2017. © 2017 Pfizer Inc. All Rights Reserved. May 2017.