Лечение острого миелобластного лейкоза

According to statistics, during  treatment of acute myeloid leukemia  in Israel, 91% of patients manage to achieve stable remission, and in more than half of requests for medical help, patients completely restore their health. Many patients who have cancer, prefer to be treated abroad, most of them choose Israel for this purpose. The leading Israeli private clinic, Herzliya Medical Center, has created all the conditions for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of any difficulty level.

Acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an oncological disease of blood and bone marrow tissue. In the course of the development of the disease, there is a process of uncontrolled proliferation and accumulation of immature hematopoietic cells in the hematopoietic tissues, which impedes the growth and development of healthy blood cells, leads to inhibition of normal blood formation. Acute myeloid leukemia is also known as: acute granulocytic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, acute non-lymphocytic leukemia. The disease refers to rapidly progressing and is more often diagnosed among the adult population; the subspecies depends on the level of cell differentiation.

Symptoms of AML

Symptoms of acute myeloid leukemia in the early stages may be similar to flu-like conditions. Clinical manifestations may vary depending on which type of blood cell is damaged. Patients with acute myeloid leukemia may develop the following ailments:

• temperature rise;
• bone pain
• general lethargy and fatigue;
• dyspnea;
• blanching of the skin;
• frequent development of infections;
• the appearance of numerous bruises;
• frequent nosebleeds;
• bleeding gums.

AML Diagnosis

In the presence of signs of acute myeloid leukemia in Israeli clinics, after a thorough history, various diagnostic tests are carried out  :

• Detailed clinical blood test. Using this analysis, you can obtain data on both the composition of the blood and the presence of blast (immature) cells, which are usually found in the bone marrow and do not circulate in the bloodstream;
• Bone marrow biopsy. Based on a blood test, one can only assume the presence of leukemia, but a small number of bone marrow cells are taken to confirm the diagnosis. Then the resulting sample is sent for research to the laboratory;
• Spinal fluid puncture. In some cases, it may be necessary to study the composition of the cerebrospinal fluid to check for leukemic cells. During the procedure, a small needle is inserted into the spinal canal of the lower back and a sample is taken;
• If AML is suspected, the patient is referred for consultation with an oncohematologist. A further task is to identify the subtype of leukemia, for this purpose a cytogenetic blood test is performed to determine the degree of cancer and classify the subspecies.

Treatment Methods for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Israel

When choosing treatment methods  abroad  (in Israel), a number of criteria are taken into account, including the type of leukemia, age, general health and personal preferences of the patient. The process of chemotherapy for blood cancer in Israel is divided into two phases: induction and consolidation.

• Induction phase. During this phase of treatment, intensive therapy with chemotherapeutic drugs is prescribed. The goal of this stage is to achieve remission, through the destruction of diseased cells in the blood-forming tissues;
• Consolidation phase. During this period, maintenance therapy is carried out, the treatment phase is aimed at consolidating the results of the first phase and destroying the remaining leukemia cells. The main objective of consolidation is to reduce the risk of relapse. Cytostatics (chemotherapy drugs) are also used during the consolidation phase.

Patients with a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia need hospitalization during the course of chemotherapy, because drugs, in addition to damaged blood cells, also destroy healthy ones. If the chemotherapy course was not effective enough, then it is repeated.

In addition to cytostatics, other pharmaceuticals are also used in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in Israel, such as Trisenox and ATRA. These drugs can be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy to induce remission of a subspecies of AML called promyelocytic leukemia. These drugs act on leukemia cells with a specific gene mutation, destroying them or stopping their division.