Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Exposure to benzene is a recognized cause of acute myelogenous leukemia. Prognosis for this cancer, known as AML and sometimes referred to as acute myeloid leukemia, often hinges on how quickly the disease is diagnosed and treatment is initiated. AML is a cancer in the blood and bone marrow that affects white blood cells or leukocytes, which help the body to ward off infections. Along with affecting white blood cells, the onset of acute myelogenous leukemia is characterized by an overproduction of blast cells. These "blast cells" are immature, abnormal cells that interfere with the production of red cells, also know as erythrocytes, which transport oxygen throughout the body. Furthermore, AML cancer affects platelets, also known as thrombocytes, which are cell fragments that help to limit excess bleeding.

In the United States, acute myelogenous leukemia is the most common form of leukemia with more than eleven and-a-half thousand new cases diagnosed each year according to the National Marrow Donor Program. AML is most likely to occur in people over the age of sixty. Symptoms of AML include: fatigue, swollen gums, pale skin, slow healing cuts, prolonged bleeding from minor wounds, aching joints or bruises that materialize for no apparent reason.

Acute myelogenous leukemia can be diagnosed through a tissue or blood sample. Physicians may also use ultrasound, x-rays or a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to determine if cancerous cells have spread outside of the bone marrow, and use the spinal tap procedure along with history and research data to develop a leukemia prognosis.

It is vital that patients who have been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia seek treatment immediately for this type of leukemia. The prognosis for this type of cancer rests on immediate diagnosis and treatment, which greatly increase the chances of prolonging life. To treat AML cancer patients are usually given chemotherapy in a two-stage process. The aim of the first-stage, known as induction therapy, is to reduce the number of cancerous cells to an undetectable level. After remission has occurred, patients enter a second phase of chemotherapy known as consolidation therapy, whose aim is to eradicate any traces of leukemic cells that may have gone undetected.

The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that "Increased incidence of leukemia (cancer of the tissues that form white blood cells) has been observed in humans occupationally exposed to benzene."

If you or someone you know was exposed to benzene and has developed acute myelogenous leukemia, you may be entitled to compensation. For more information, call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or complete the email form.