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№ 7Hematology13 min read

Acute myeloid leukemia

1. Big picture

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an acute malignant clonal proliferation of immature myeloid cells, usually myeloblasts, in the bone marrow and blood.

The exam pattern is:

Older patient + fatigue + fever/infections + petechiae/bleeding + anemia/thrombocytopenia ± high WBC + blasts/Auer rods → think AML.

The key danger is that AML can kill quickly through:

  • bone marrow failure → infection, anemia, bleeding
  • hyperleukocytosis/leukostasis → respiratory or neurological emergency
  • tumor lysis syndrome
  • disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), especially acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)

The Debrecen hematology textbook describes AML as

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