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You are here: Cancer information / Cancer type / Leukemia - Acute myelogenous (AML) / Overview

Glossary

What is acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)?

Leukemia is a cancer that starts in blood stem cells (immature blood cells) in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft, spongy material that fills the centre of most bones. Blood cells are made in the bone marrow. Blood stem cells develop into either myeloid stem cells or lymphoid stem cells.

 

Myeloid stem cells develop into one of 3 types of mature blood cells:

  • Red blood cells carry oxygen to all tissues of the body.
  • Platelets form clots in damaged blood vessels to prevent bleeding.
  • There are many different types of white blood cells. Myeloid stem cells can develop into granulocytes and monocytes, which destroy bacteria and help to fight infection.

 

Myelogenous leukemia develops when the blood stem cells in the bone marrow make abnormal myeloid blast cells (immature white blood cells). These abnormal cells are called leukemia cells, and they do not develop into healthy granulocytes or monocytes. The leukemia cells crowd out normal blood cells. This makes it hard for the white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets to do their jobs.

 

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a type of leukemia that starts suddenly, developing within days or weeks.

 

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