Have you, a
loved one or a close friend recently been diagnosed with cancer?
Than the chances
are your emotions have run the full gambit of disbelief, confusion,
sadness, fear and finally you got really pissed off. I too
have lived thru this and until I got to the final stage " Being
Really Pissed Off" my life was in a great turmoil. I found
once I got mad it was much easier to fight this horrible disease.
In recent short four week period our family found out that my
younger sister Ingrid, age 48 has breast cancer that has migrated
into her breast bone and I was diagnosed with Prostate cancer.
As upset as I was for myself, ironically I feel fortunate that
I only have prostate cancer. I guess it is similar to the
story about the man who was upset because he had no shoes until he
saw a man with no feet.
You
never believe that it can happen to you or your family. You
eat right, exercise. don't smoke and drink very little. Than
BAM life throws you a curve. Get over it as soon as
possible and enjoy your life. Now is the time to get informed.
What exactly can you expect? What treatment is available and which
is best for me? Confused? Overwhelmed? You are not
alone. Your doctors are your best source for answers to your
questions and concerns as what the hell you do next. However,
do not leave it entirely up to them, do your research as well. I
hope this site will assist you in beginning your education.
Luck be with you, enjoy your Family. I spend as much time with my
wife, two children and 3 grand daughters as humanly possible.
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
(AML)
Acute myelogenous leukemia
(AML) is a malignancy that arises in either granulocytes or
monocytes which are white blood cells that battle infectious
agents throughout the body. AML is not inherited or
contagious. It develops when there is a defect in the immature
cells in the bone marrow. Although the exact cause of AML is
unknown, exposure to benzene, cigarettes smoking, and prior
exposure to chemotherapy drugs are linked to the disease.
The effects of AML are:
1) the uncontrolled,
exaggerated growth and accumulation of cells called "leukemic
blasts," which fail to function as normal blood cells, and
2) the blockade of the production of normal marrow cells,
leading to a deficiency of red cells (anemia), and platelets
(thrombocytopenia) and normal white cells (especially
neutrophils, i.e. neutropenia) in the blood.
Acute myelogenous leukemia is the most common type of leukemia
in adults, with an estimated 10,100 new cases of AML reported
each year. Older people are more likely to develop AML than
children. In fact, the risk for developing the disease
increases about ten-fold from age 30 (1 case per 100,000) to
age 70 (1 case per 10,000).
Acute myelogenous leukemia may be
called by several names, including acute myelocytic leukemia,
acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia, or
acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.
AML Subtypes The subtypes of AML are
classified based on the stage of development myeloblasts have
reached at the time of diagnosis. The categories and subsets
allow the physician to decide what treatment works best for
the cell type and how quickly the disease may develop.
(Designation / Cell subtype) -
M1, Myeloblastic, without maturation
M2, Myeloblastic, with maturation
M3, Promyelocytic
M4, Myelomonocytic
M5, Monocytic
M6, Erythroleukemia
M7, Megakaryocytic
AML is a very common form of
leukemia in adults. More than 10,000 adults are diagnosed each
year in the USA. 65 is the average age of people diagnosed
with AML. Acute myelogenous leukemia affects more men than
women, and is a little more common among whites than blacks
Prognosis, Survival Rates, and What to Expect
70% to 80% of acute
myelogenous leukemia patients experience complete remission.
In total, about 20% to 30% of patients survive and are free of
AML 5 years after the diagnosis. AML patients who have not had
a relapse during this time are considered completely cured,
because most relapses happen within 2 years of the AML
diagnosis.
Acute myelogenous leukemia
patients who are under 60 years of age have a better chance of
survival than those patients that are older. This is due to
many factors including being able to stand the strong
chemotherapy medicines that are used to treat AML. With no
treatment, AML leukemia patient life expectancy is about 3 to
4 months.
OncoLink was founded in 1994 by Penn
cancer specialists with a mission to help cancer patients, families,
health care professionals and the general public get accurate
cancer-related information at no charge. Recent changes have been made to
OncoLink to update the look and feel of our site.
OncoLink is designed to make it easy for
the general public to navigate through the pages to obtain the information
that they want. The home page has buttons and hypertext links. If you
click on the buttons or the underlined text with your mouse, you will go
directly to your area of interest
Can you prevent cancer or
reduce your cancer risk? How can you detect cancer early? What are the
risk factors for different types of cancer? Concerned about cancer because
it runs in your family? Frequently exposed to tobacco or environmental
hazards? Just want to stay healthy? You can find answers to these
questions and more using the resources in this area
Since its founding in 1982,
the American Institute for Cancer Research has grown into the nation's
leading charity in the field of diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR supports
research into the role of diet and nutrition in the prevention and
treatment of cancer. It also offers a wide range of cancer prevention
education programs.
The heart of ACOR is a
large collection of cancer-related Internet mailing lists
, which delivered 1,847,431 e-mail messages last week to subscribers.
In addition to supporting the mailing lists, ACOR develops and hosts
state-of-the-art Internet-based knowledge systems that allow the public to
find and use credible information relevant to their illness.
Welcome to the Canadian
Cancer Society website – we are a national, community-based organization
of volunteers, whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the
enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer.
CancerCare is a
national non-profit organization that provides free professional support
services to anyone affected by cancer: people with cancer, caregivers,
children, loved ones, and the bereaved. CancerCare programs—including
counseling, education, financial assistance and practical help—are
provided by trained oncology social workers and are completely free of
charge. Founded in 1944, CancerCare now provides individual help to
more than 90,000 people each year, in addition to the more than one
million people who gain information and resources from its website.
Cancer News on the Net® is dedicated to bringing patients and their
families the latest news and information on cancer diagnosis, treatment
and prevention. This service is offered for free as our gift to you.
Hopefully, you will find it helpful. The only thing we ask is that you let
us know how we can improve!
Cancer.com was developed by Ortho
Biotech Products, L.P., as part of our dedication to cancer research and
education. Cancer.com is our way of supporting the cancer community by
simplifying the way patients search for cancer information online. Ortho
Biotech strives to touch the lives of as many people as possible, in the
ways most beneficial to them. And we hope we continue to make an impact.
Check back often for updates. We welcome your suggestions for improving
this site
The mission of Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute is to provide expert, compassionate care to children and adults
with cancer while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure,
and prevention of cancer and related diseases.
Leukemia :
Welcome to
Leukemia
Leukemia
covers all aspects of the research and treatment of leukemia and allied
diseases, as well as relevant studies on normal hemopoiesis.
Leukemia aims at
publishing good, solid, innovative science, applied to both pure and
translational research.
Welcome to the Leukemia Research
Foundation (LRF). Please join us on our journey in pursuit of the
Foundation's Mission: To conquer leukemia, lymphoma, and myelodysplastic
syndromes by funding research into their causes and cures, and to enrich
the quality of life of those touched by these diseases.
The Leukemia Information Center is an
educational library of comprehensive information on adult myelogenous
leukemia (AML) for healthcare professionals and consumers in the United
States.
MedicineNet.com is an online, healthcare
media publishing company. It provides easy-to-read, in-depth,
authoritative medical information for consumers via its robust,
user-friendly, interactive web site. Since 1996, MedicineNet.com has had a
highly accomplished, uniquely experienced team of qualified
executives in the fields of medicine, healthcare, Internet technology, and
business to bring you the most comprehensive, sought after healthcare
information anywhere. Nationally recognized, 100% Doctor-Produced by a
network of over 70 U.S. Board Certified Physicians, MedicineNet.com is the
trusted source for online health and medical information.
Medifocus.com offers you trustworthy, expert medical
information, giving you more control over your health.At Medifocus, we
understand that being fully informed is your first defense, so we tell you
all about the illness, leading physicians and researchers and centers of
clinical knowledge and research.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center's tradition of care began more than 100 years ago. In 1884,
the cornerstone of the New York Cancer Hospital -- what was later to
become Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases -- was laid.
In 1948, we dedicated the Sloan-Kettering Institute to foster innovative
basic-science research focused on cancer. In 1960, we formally
joined Memorial Hospital and the Sloan-Kettering Institute to become
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
1997 marked the 100th anniversary of the
first descriptions of aplastic anemia in people exposed to benzene. The
literature is now replete with case reports of aplastic anemia and other
blood dyscrasias caused by benzene.
Patient- Centered Guides
are a mix of medical, practical and
emotional information, grounded in Western medicine, told by people who
have been there. As with our
other publishing programs, this series grew out of recognizing a need for
a particular kind of information. The writers and editors in this series
have encountered illnesses that have threatened or changed their lives.
St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric
treatment and research facility anywhere. Discoveries made here have
completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other
catastrophic diseases.
We are where some of today's most gifted
researchers are able to do more science, more quickly. Where doctors
across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients.
Where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and
those without insurance are never asked to pay. We've built America's
3rd-largest health-care charity, with a model that keeps the costs down
and the funds flowing, so the science never stops
acute myelogenous leukemia and acute
lymphocytic leukemia.
benzeneexposure.org, copyrighted 2008
This information is not intended to be
anything but helpful, nor are we in the medical or legal field, I am
simply another person with similar life experience
