Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatments and Supportive Therapies!

Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia and you find yourself wanting to learn more about the different types of treatments and supportive therapy options that you have available to you?

If so, then you will be glad to know that in this article you will discover the different types of options that you have to treat acute myeloid leukemia and more importantly some of the supportive therapy options that you and your loved ones can utilize during this fight against this devastating cancer.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatments and Supportive Therapies!

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells that is characterized by a rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that build up in the bone marrow and interfere with the normal production of blood cells.

Symptoms of Acute Myeloid Leukemia:

FatigueShortness of BreathEasily bleeds or bruiseHigher incidence of infection

Since AML is as an acute leukemia, it progresses rapidly and can be fatal within weeks or months if left untreated.

Treatment options of cute Myeloid Leukemia:

The most common treatment of AML is usually chemotherapy that is divided into two separate phases of induction and consolidation therapy. The intent of the induction phase is to reduce the amount of leukemic cells to an undetectable level. Once that is achieved the intention of the consolidation phase is to eliminate all of the disease.

Supportive Therapy Options:

Fighting the battle against any type of cancer can be a very daunting and at times almost overwhelming process. That's why your healthcare provider may provide you with a list of AML support groups that will allow you to communicate and share with other AML sufferers to help easy some of the suffering by sharing.

Another option is to begin practicing Yoga Nidra which is a guided meditation technique that will allow you to expand your capacity to be in this moment now in an empowering way that will decrease the amount of unneeded suffering that you may be struggling with as well as give you moments of relaxation in the mist of so much pain and suffering.

Thaddeus Ferguson has dedicated himself to the cause of helping people heal themselves first in order to help heal the world during this amazing time of transformation.

The practice of Meditation and/or Yoga Nidra is just one of the many powerful tools that you can use in order to help Heal You First.

Discover many of the Benefits of Meditation Now!

Learn more about Yoga Nidra Now!

Original article

I Am Diagnosed With Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Will I Live?

Acute Myeloid Leukemia is a frequent cancer of the blood cells. It's frequency increases with the increasing of age. Before treatment existed this type of cancer was totally mortal, and with the therapy that is used nowadays, its survival rate is bigger, up to 90 % in case of Acute promyelocitic leukemia. It is thought that one of the main causes of this Leukemia, is the BENZENE exposure.

So, lets start with the basics. As of the FAB classification, your disease can be classified in 8 groups, from AML-M0 to AML-M7.

The worst prognosis is AML-M0, and the best prognosis is AML-M3.

As of the WHO classification that is more recent and more concise, a person can have:
Leukemia from chromosomal trans-location
Leukemia from myelodisplasia
Leukemia from treatment
Leukemia of unknown origin

Of this 4 cases, the leukemia from treatment may have the best prognosis.

Treatment:
If you suffer from AML-M3 (Acute promyelocitic leukemia), the treatment of choice will be ATRA (All trans retinoic acid). The survival rate will be great, up to 90% after 5 years.

If you suffer from all other forms, the treatment is as follows:
One cycle of INDUCTION: You use 3 days of anthracyclines, and 7 days of ARA-C.

One cycle of CONSOLIDATION: In the start of this phase, the cancer cells will be really low. If this second cycle is successful, you will be safe, no more cancer in your body. But the success of this phase depends on the prognostic factors of your leukemia.

First of all, your age. The older you are (over 70), the more difficult will be. But you still have the possibility to survive. Other prognostic factors are the chromosomal trans-locations that are present in your genotype.
Good Prognosis: t(8;21), t(15;17), inv(16)

Intermediate Prognosis: Normal, +8, +21, +22, del(7q), del(9q), Abnormal 11q23, all other structural or numerical changes

Bad Prognosis: -5, -7, del(5q), Abnormal 3q, Complex cytogenetics

Will YOU Live?

Well, you have to fight! It's a battle that you have just started, but you have to be strong, physically and mentally. Be very collaborative with your physician, and take your pills very regularly. The chances to survive after 5 years are up to 70 % in general. YOU HAVE TO BE IN THAT 70 %!

Original article

Myeloid Leukemia Definitions, Classifications And Symptoms

Myeloid leukemia is a group of diseases whose characteristic changes are seen in the bone marrow and blood, where tumor cells infiltrate the blood system; sometimes these cells even spill into the circulating blood other tissues. The concept of myeloid leukemia is from the action of immature white blood cells being produced in excess and therefore inhibiting the production of the normal blood cells. These cells are called myeloid cells; they by their action in the blood disturb the function of the blood cells.

This leukemia has both tumors which are kept untreated to those that are diagnosed and treated immediately, ranging from rapid fatality to those which are slow in growing. Therefore on the basis of their treatment course they are divided into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

AML is seen more in men than in women and more prevalent in people older than 65 than in people of younger age. CML is also greater in men than in women but its incidence always increase slowing and the people's age increases and gets to the peak of occurrence in mid forties from where there is rapid rise in CML occurrence. Anyway the incidence of CML decreased slightly in the past two decades.

The etiology of myeloid leukemia is depended on the type, AML is related with risk factors such as hereditary (other resident blood disease in the family history; DIC) exposure to occupational chemicals, intense exposure to radiation which may be as a result of therapeutic reasons and even some drugs, but there is nothing relating the cause of ML to viral infection in any way.

While the etiology of chronic myeloid leukemia has no distinct relation with cytotoxic drug effect and there is also no evidence connecting it with any viral infection, but cigarette smoking by studies has shown to increase its progress into severe crisis, therefore living with Chronic myeloid leukemia and smoking becomes dangerous. Only large dosage of radiation has any adverse effect for CML formation.

The symptoms of ML are also depending on the type, whether it is AML or CML. For AML patients are presented with some nonspecific symptoms which begin either slowly or abruptly and the symptoms are leucopenia or leucocytosis, thrombocytopenia. These symptoms are usually due to anemia in such patients. Other symptoms of are fatigue, anorexia and weight loss and easily getting bruised with excessive bleeding.

While in CML the symptoms are at first insidious therefore it is difficult to diagnose a patient based but symptoms, such patients are usually diagnosed during normal medical checkup, or others come to the hospital with complaints fatigue, weight loss, symptoms relating to splenomegaly such as early satisfaction during eating, left upper quadrant pain, infections, thrombosis or sometimes bleeding.

When chronic myeloid leukemia progresses symptoms worsened with bone and joint pain, significant loss of weight which will require increasing the dose of the drugs used for treatment. Chemotherapy is used as treatment of myeloid leukemia but when this fails bone transplant is done.

Dave has been involved in all different areas of the health field for many years now, and prides himself on offering all kinds of different resources for all kinds of different diseases and conditions. For more information on this topic you can checkout either of his websites; the first being myeloid leukemia prognosis and the second being acute myeloid leukemia prognosis.

Original article

Treatment Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia - Hanging On To Life

Acute myeloid leukemia is a heterogeneous cancer of the blood and bone marrow. This tumor occurs as a result of an over production of immature white blood cell which is called myeloblast.

The name of the disease is gotten from the blood cell produced in excess. The immature white blood cell produced gets into the bone marrow and it's over production hinders the production of the normal blood cells.

The main cause of the display of these symptoms is as a result of the loss of normal function of blood by these myelobast. Since they are immature and reduce the mature and proper functioning blood, their function as blood cells is greatly reduced. One of the functions of blood affected in acute myeloid leukemia is fighting against infection.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia are easily infected due to reduced immunity against infection. Another very common symptom in patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia is anemia. Anemia is as a result of reduced production of normal red blood cells and platelets. Anemia is usually severe with different levels of severity seen in different patients. Acute myeloid leukemia has other symptoms like being easily bruised and having swollen gum, bleeding of the nose, fever, skin pallor and even shortness of breath.

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in a newly diagnosed patient consist of chemotherapy ( the type of chemotherapy used is age dependent) aimed to quickly induce total remission, when this is achieved, further therapy is then aimed at cure of the disease (by eliminating any undetected residuals of the leukemic cells). Therefore the treatment process is divided into two stages.

The first stage is the stage of induction. The goal of this therapy is to get complete remission by reducing the quantity of the leukemic cells in the bone marrow and circulating blood to an undetectable level. The commonly used complete remission induction is a combined chemotherapy of cytarabine and anthracycline. Cytarabine is administered intravenously with dosage of 100 - 200mg/m2/day for one week. Anthracycline consists of daunorubicin is administered intravenously 45-60mg/m2 on day1, 2, and 3.

When induction therapy is completed, the bone marrow is examined. If blast cells are more than 5% with up to 20% cellular cells, induction therapy is performed again with dose similar to the first but cytarabine is given for 5 and antracycline 2 days. But after the second therapy if there is no positive result stem cell transplant is considered, though this is only possible in patient younger than 65 years.

The second stage is post remission or consolidation therapy, which is aimed at cure of patients with acute myeloid leukemia after the leukemic cells becomes undetectable. In this therapy treatment is based on the patient's condition, this therapy involves an additional intensive chemotherapy of 3 to 5 courses. Patients with high risk of cytogenetics are given allogeneic stem cell transplant. Patients who stem cell transplant is not suitable for, are treated with a combination therapy of histamine dihydrochloride (ceplene) and interleukin 2.

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia has shown good prognosis in the time past especially if diagnosis is made early ant treatment is started immediately.

Dave is an avid member of the health community and offers more information about leukemia on his website Acute Myeloid Leukemia Prognosis. He also has a similar site on Myeloid Leukemia Prognosis.

Original article