Myeloid leukemia affects white blood cell development and can disrupt red blood cell development. Symptoms include headaches, joint pains, and increased susceptibility to infections. It can be caused by chemotherapy, radiation, viral infections, or exposure to benzene chemicals. Different types of myeloid leukemia affect different blood cells and have varying symptoms.
Myeloid leukemia is classified as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The disease is a type of cancer that usually affects the development of white blood cells, although some forms can disrupt the development of red blood cells. Headaches, joint pains and an increased susceptibility to infections are symptoms of both forms of the disease. Patients may also bleed or bruise easily and suffer from excessive fatigue due to anemia.
AML or CML can develop following chemotherapy or radiation for other cancers. It can also occur as a result of a viral infection or exposure to benzene chemicals. Myeloid leukemia can also be further classified based on the type of blood cells affected.
CML is characterized by abnormal white blood cells at various stages of development. It is usually seen in adults over the age of 55. Men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with CML.
Undifferentiated AML, or M0, can produce mature white blood cells, but the cells never differentiate into a specific type. In myeloblastic leukemia, or M1, cells may or may not mature, but they show some differentiation into the various types of granulocytic cells. Myeloblastic leukemia, called M2, usually produces granulocytes at different stages of development and is sometimes classified as a genetic or chromosomal disorder.
PML, or M3, is typically characterized by abnormal white blood cells that show granulation and range in maturity from myeloblasts to myelocytes. The nuclei of these cells also vary in shape and size. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DICM3), a bleeding and coagulation disorder, can occur in connection with this form of the disease. This affliction generally begins with hypercoagulation, forming blood clots throughout the body. Excessive secretion of clotting proteins quickly causes exhaustion, resulting in uncontrolled bleeding.
Myelomonocytic leukemia, also known as M4, produces granulocytes and monocytes, both at various stages of development. These abnormal cells usually outnumber all nucleated blood cells. Unlike other forms of myeloid leukemia, M4 can also affect the development of eosinophils. Monocytic leukemia, or M5, causes unusually large but immature monoblasts. Patients with this form of myeloid leukemia often experience bleeding, swollen and painful gums, or a rash-like rash.
People diagnosed with erythroleukemia, or M6, usually show abnormalities in those cells that would mature into red blood cells. Megakaryoblastic leukemia, or M7, typically shows immature and enlarged lymphocytes. This type of myeloid leukemia also often produces deposits of fibrous tissue throughout the bone marrow.
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