Diagnosis: The process of identifying a disease, condition or injury from it's signs and symptoms. A health history, physical exams and tests such as blood tests, imaging tests and biopsies, may be used to help make a diagnosis.

Treatment: A treatment is a medical intervention intended to remediate a health problem, such as a disease or disorder. 

To comfirm a diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a small sample of your bone marrow will be taken to examine under a microscope. This procedure is known as a bone marrow biopsy.

The doctor or nurse will numb an area of skin at the back of your hip bone, before using a thin needle to remove a sample of liquid bone marrow.

Occasionally, they will remove some liquid bone marrow and a thin piece of bone marrow together.

You will not feel any pain during the procedure, but it can feel uncomfortable when the sample is being taken. You can have brusing and discomfort for a few days afterwards.

The bone marrow sample will be checked for cancerous cells. If cancerous cells are present, the biopsy can also be used to determine the type of leukemia you have. 

This procedure takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Further Tests

Other tests can be used to get more information about the progress and extent of your AML. They can additionally help decide how it should be treated.

Blood Tests

Most people with AML have too many white blood cells and not enough red blood cells and not enough platelets. Sometimes the level of white blood cells can be too low. The presence of blast cells which are immature cells normally found in bone marrow but not circulating in the blood is another indicator of acute myeloid leukemia.

Genetic Testing

Genetic tests can be carried out on blood and bone marrow samples to find out what type of AML you have. This can help doctors make decisions about the most appropriate treatment.

Chest X-Ray 

If you have AML, a chest x-ray can be used to check that your heart and lungs are healthy. These tests are important to also help doctors assess your general health before they decide on the most appropriate treatment.

Lumbar Puncture

In rare situations, where it is thought there is a risk that AML has spread to your nervous system, a lumbar puncture may be carried out. In this procedure, a needle is used to extract a sample of the fluid that surrounds and protects your spine (cerebrospinal fluid) so it can be checked for cancerous cells. If cancerous cells are found in your nervous system, it may affect your treatment.

If your healthcare provider determines you have AML, you may need further tests to determine the extent of the cancer and classify it into more of a specific AML subtype. 

Your AML subtype is based on how your cells appear when examined under a microscope. Special laboratory testing may be used to identify the specific characteristics of your cells. 

Your AML subtype helps determine which treatments may be best for you. Doctors are studying how different types of cancer treatment affect people with different AML subtypes.

Your doctor uses your AML subtype and other information to determine your prognosis and decide on your treatment options. Other types of cancer use numerical stages to indicate your prognosis and whether your cancer has spread, but there are no stages of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Instead, the seriousness of your condition is determined by:

- AML Subtype

- Your Age

- Your Overall Health 

- Results from other tests and procedures, such as the number of white blood cells found in blood samples.

Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia depends on several factors, including the subtype of the disease, your age, your overall health and your preferences. 

In general, treatment falls into two phases:

Remission Induction Therapy 

The purpose of the first phase of treatment is to kill the leukemia cells in your blood and bone marrow. However, remission induction usually does not wipe out all of the leukemia cells, so you need further treatment to prevent the disease from returning.

Consolidation Therapy

Consolidation Therapy (also called post-remission therapy or maintenance therapy) this phase of treatment is aimed at destroying the remaining leukemia cells. It is considered crucial to decreasing the risk of relapse. 

Therapies used in these phases include:

Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy is the major form of remission induction therapy, though it can be used for consolidation therapy. Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill cancer cells in your body. People with AML generally stay in the hospital during chemotherapy treatments because the drugs destroy many normal blood cells in the process of killing leukemia cells. If the first cycle of chemotherapy does not cause remission it can be repeated.

Targeted Therapy:

Targeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. Your leukemia cells will be tested to see if targeted therapy may be helpful for you. Targeted therapy can be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy for induction therapy and consolidation therapy.

Bone Marrow Transplant:

A bone marrow transplant, also called a stem cells transplant, may be used for consolidation therapy. A bone marrow transplant helps reestablish healthy stem cells byreplacing unhealthy bone marrow with leukemia free stem cells will regenerate healthy bone marrow. Prior to a bone marrow transplant, you recieve very high doses of chemotherapy or radation therapy to destroy your leukemia producing bone marrow. Then you recieve infusions of stem cells from a compatible donor (allogenic transplant).

You can also recieve your own stem cells (autologous transplant) if you were previosuly in remission and had your healthy stem cells removed and stored for a future transplant.

Clinical Trials:

Some people with leukemia choose to enroll in clinical trials to try experimental treatments or new combinations of known therapies.

Alternative Medicine 

No alternative treatments have been found helpful in treating acute myeloid leukemia. But some complementary and altervative treatments may relieve the symptoms you experience due to cancer or cancer treatment.

Alternative treatments that may help relieve symptoms include

- Acupuncture

- Exercise 

- Massage

- Meditation

- Relaxation Activities, including yoga and tai chi