Acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract

The diagnostic entity of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) encompasses a heterogeneous group of diseases whose prognosis differs substantially according to the nature of the underlying molecular lesion and the age of the patient. AML is predominantly a disease of the elderly with a dramatic increase in incidence in individuals over 60 years of age. Traditionally, cases of AML have been classified as primary (de novo) or secondary depending on the absence or presence of recognized predisposing factors (see Table 30-1). © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.