A latest research on Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Good news for the patients of Acute Myeloid Leukemia a research which was published in Nature Genetics Three groups of mutation which become a cause of acute myeloid leukemia a cancer of white blood cells were traced by the researchers. They suggested that their work on mice, which can guide to the new treatment. At least two thousand people were diagnosed in UK with acute myeloid leukemia every year.
During the sickness the bone marrow, which works to produces blood cells, begins to produce immature white blood cells. This creates a change in balance of the blood. The white blood cells do not properly get developed so they cannot fight the infection and there are too few red blood cells to carry the oxygen around the body. The disease could be fatal within weeks if it is left untreated.
Dr. George Vassiliou, consultant hematologist from the Welcome Trust Sanger Institute, said they had found critical steps that take place when the cancer develops. Identifying the biological steps in turn means we can look for new drugs to reverse the process.
He told the BBC: Getting new drugs to patients could take decades, but what can happen sooner is using drugs which are already on the shelf, but in a more targeted way.
Dr David Grant, scientific director at Leukemia & Lymphoma Research, said: New designer drugs which target specific genetic mutations are proving increasingly effective in the treatment of blood cancers.
This is a very important study as it offers an invaluable insight into the role of the most common form of mutation found in acute myeloid leukemia. It explains how it develops and the other genetic factors that drive the leukemias growth.
It offers a potential model for the development of new drugs for this terrible disease in the future. Courtesy to BBC
Acute Myeloid Leukemia is a cancer of myeloid line of blood cells differentiated by fast production of immature white blood cells that gather in the bone marrow and creates hurdles to the production of healthy blood cells. When it occurs, blood cell production goes skewed. The bone marrow produces undeveloped cells that develop into leukemic white blood cells called myeloblasts. These abnormal cells are unable to perform adequately, and they can build up and crowd out healthy cells.It’s not obvious what reasons the DNA mutations that lead to leukemia.
The main causes of AML are below:
Acute Myeloid Leukemia is the most common disease which directly effects to the adults and its sufferings rise with the age and AML is most common in adults age 65 years and above.
Mostly men are suffered by the AML as compare to the women.
The people those are living in a higher level of radiation such as survivors of nuclear incident have a mounted risk of creating AML. As after dropping the atom bomb by the US on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there had been a higher of rate of AML in the survivors.
AML can create by the exposure of certain chemical like benzene which is found unguided gasoline and utilized by the chemical industries. AML is also attached with the cigarette smoke which comprises benzene and other famous cancer creating chemicals.
The people who had suffered by the blood disorder such as myelodyssplasia, polycythemia vera or thrombocythemia, are at biggest risk of creating AML. Also other genetic disorders, like Down syndrome is linked with an higher risk of creating AML.
In the past the people who are experienced by the procedure of chemotherapy and radiation therapy or treatment for childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) may have a higher risk of developing AML.
