Acute myeloid leukaemia
Leukaemia is a cancer of the blood cells. All blood cells are produced in the bone marrow from stem cells. There are three main types of blood cells:
- red blood cells (RBCs) which carry oxygen around the body
- white blood cells (WBCs) which help to fight off infection
- platelets which help to stop bleeding and bruising.
There are four main types of leukaemia:
Chronic leukaemias are rare in childhood.
AML is when too many immature myeloid blood cells (blasts) are produced in the bone marrow. These are abnormal cells that do not mature into healthy white blood cells.
There are various types of AML depending on which type of cell is affected and how differentiated (well developed) the cell is. They are all treated in the same way except for one type called acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL).
Who gets acute myeloid leukaemia?
AML is diagnosed in about 100 children in the UK each year. It can occur at any age and boys and girls are equally affected.
Some children with a genetic disorder, such as Down’s syndrome or Li-Fraumeni syndrome, have an increased risk of developing leukaemia. Rare conditions, such as aplastic anaemia or myelodysplasia, are also associated with an increased risk of leukaemia. There is no evidence to suggest a link between nuclear power plants or high voltage lines.
Signs and symptoms
Many of the symptoms are related to the fact that the leukaemia cells multiply in the bone marrow and stop the production of healthy blood cells. Common symptoms include:
- tiredness
- lethargy
- pallor
- bruising
- fever and infection
- swollen glands
- limb pains.
Tests / investigations
We will need to carry out some tests to find out as much as possible about the type of leukaemia. This will help us to decide on the best treatment for your child. These tests include:
- Blood tests – this will tell us if there are any leukaemia cells in the bloodstream and how the other blood cells are affected.
- Chest X-ray – this will tell us whether any of the lymph glands in the chest are enlarged.
- Bone marrow aspirate and trephine – these tests tell us exactly what type of AML your child has. We can look at features of the leukaemia cells, such as chromosome changes, which may help us to decide on the best treatment.
- Lumbar puncture – this is to see whether there are any leukaemia cells in the spinal fluid. Your child will also need some anti-cancer drugs injected directly into the spinal fluid as part of the treatment.