hematology and oncology
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
Pathophysiology of AML
Similar to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) , acute myeloid leukemia is caused by a series of acquired genetic aberrations. Malignant transformation usually occurs at the pluripotent stem cell level, although it sometimes involves a committed stem cell with more limited capacity for self-renewal. Abnormal proliferation, clonal expansion, aberrant differentiation, and diminished apoptosis (programmed cell death) lead to replacement of normal blood elements with malignant cells. 