Rather than being one disease, acute myeloid leukemia is at least 11 different conditions, each with a different genetic profile and clinical features. This is the finding of what has been hailed as a “groundbreaking” new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Share on Pinterest Researchers say AML is at least 11 different diseases, all of which have different genetic alterations and clinical features. Study co-leader Dr. Peter Campbell, of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom, and colleagues say their findings may explain why young people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) show significant differences in survival. Furthermore, the results could lead to improvements in the way patients are diagnosed and treated. AML is an aggressive form of blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow, before – in most cases – rapidly moving to the bloodstream. It can also spread to the lymph nodes, spleen, central nervous system (CNS), liver, and other parts of the body. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there will be around 19,950 new cases of AML diagnosed in the United States this year. While it is most common among adults aged 45 and older, it can affect people of all ages.

AML treatment responses vary Chemotherapy is normally the first-line treatment for AML, and this may be followed up with a stem cell transplant. However, treatment outcomes for AML patients vary. Dr. Campbell and colleagues note that while most patients respond to chemotherapy initially, many experience disease relapse; the 5-year survival rate stands at around 26 percent after an AML diagnosis. But why do some people with AML respond well to treatment while others do not? Previous research has suggested it is down to the array of different genetic mutations that drive AML development. “There are many leukemia genes, most of which are infrequently mutated, and patients typically have more than one driver mutation,” the authors explain. “The disease evolves over time, with multiple competing clones coexisting at any time. These discoveries are revealing the biologic intricacies of AML, but how they inform clinical practice is unclear.”