Acute monocytic leukemia is a type of blood cancer that affects the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells, leading to anemia and reduced resistance to infections. It is treated with chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants. The subtype AML-M5b is specifically affected. Diagnosis is done through various blood tests and hematology studies. Risk factors include exposure to radiation and certain chemicals.
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the body’s ability to produce blood, leading to higher than normal levels of leukocytes, more commonly known as white blood cells. There are many types of leukemia, and acute monocytic leukemia, also called AMoL, specifically affects a certain type of white blood cell called monocytes. AML is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia, also called AML, which is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. Whether it is acute leukemia means that it progresses rapidly, with a rapid increase in the number of abnormal white blood cells inhibiting the formation of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. Acute monocytic leukemia is usually treated with chemotherapy and sometimes bone marrow transplants.
Blood is formed when stem cells in the bone marrow mature into different types of blood cells, such as platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. Healthy white blood cells help the body fight infection, but acute monocytic leukemia causes more monocytic white blood cells to form than normal, and because these cells are immature, they cannot fight infection effectively. Their overwhelming numbers also inhibit the bone marrow’s ability to form normal, healthy white blood cells, as well as inhibit the formation of healthy red blood cells and platelets. Therefore, the most common symptoms of acute monocytic leukemia are anemia and reduced resistance to infections.
Various classification systems are used to divide these types of blood cancer into subcategories. A common classification system used specifically for acute myeloid leukemia includes several subtypes named M0 through M8. Acute monocytic leukemia belongs to the AML-M5 subtype. This subtype is further divided into AML-M5a, which is called acute monoblastic leukemia, and AML-M5b, which is acute monocytic leukemia. Symptoms of both types of AML-M5 leukemia include fatigue, abnormal bruising and bleeding, and an increased risk of blood clots in blood vessels and internal organs.
Hematology is the study of blood, including how to diagnose, treat and prevent blood diseases and blood cancers such as acute monocytic leukemia. To diagnose the type of leukemia a patient has, various blood tests and hematology studies are done, including a complete blood count (CBC) and white blood cell count (WBC). It’s not entirely clear what causes any type of leukemia, but exposure to radiation and some types of chemicals are a risk factor.
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