Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML): How Do I Make Treatment Decisions?
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/ Updated April 3rd, 2020

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML): How Do I Make Treatment Decisions?

Medical Source: Dr. Mikkael Sekeres
University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
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Making a Treatment Plan

  • Making treatment treatment decisions about AML should revolve around your goals
  • For a healthy adult, the odds of going into a first remission after AML treatment are around 70 to 80%
  • The odds of another remission are cut in half every time a relapse of the disease occurs

“I have conversations all the time with my patients about their goals,” says Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, Director of the Leukemia Program at Cleveland Clinic. “I’m not the one who’s wearing their shoes. I’m not the one who’s been through all the chemotherapy and all the side effects of chemotherapy and all the time away from family.”

When treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML), as with most cancers, the goal is a cure. However, most patients do not see a cure — either because the disease does not respond or because it recurs, according to Dr. Sekeres. For this reason, taking a patient’s goals into account is an important part of the treatment process.

When a person who is in good health is diagnosed with the disease, Dr. Sekeres says, there is about a 70 to 80% chance that this person will go into remission after treatment. However, when AML recurs, that number is halved to about 30 to 40% — and it’s halved again if an additional relapse occurs.

“Some people see those numbers and say, ‘If there’s any chance, I’m gonna go for it.’ And we will support them through that … other people hear those numbers and say, ‘Not good enough for me.’ And those are folks we will start to have a discussion about palliative care and hospice — and whether that person wants to continue to be support with blood and platelet transfusions, or not even that,” Dr. Sekeres says.


Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Dr. Mikkael Sekeres is chief of the Division of Hematology at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Sekeres' focus is on myeloid cancers, and particularly myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in older adults. Read More

Making a Treatment Plan

  • Making treatment treatment decisions about AML should revolve around your goals
  • For a healthy adult, the odds of going into a first remission after AML treatment are around 70 to 80%
  • The odds of another remission are cut in half every time a relapse of the disease occurs
“I have conversations all the time with my patients about their goals,” says Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, Director of the Leukemia Program at Cleveland Clinic. “I’m not the one who’s wearing their shoes. I’m not the one who’s been through all the chemotherapy and all the side effects of chemotherapy and all the time away from family.”

When treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML), as with most cancers, the goal is a cure. However, most patients do not see a cure — either because the disease does not respond or because it recurs, according to Dr. Sekeres. For this reason, taking a patient’s goals into account is an important part of the treatment process.

Read More
When a person who is in good health is diagnosed with the disease, Dr. Sekeres says, there is about a 70 to 80% chance that this person will go into remission after treatment. However, when AML recurs, that number is halved to about 30 to 40% — and it’s halved again if an additional relapse occurs.

“Some people see those numbers and say, ‘If there’s any chance, I’m gonna go for it.’ And we will support them through that … other people hear those numbers and say, ‘Not good enough for me.’ And those are folks we will start to have a discussion about palliative care and hospice — and whether that person wants to continue to be support with blood and platelet transfusions, or not even that,” Dr. Sekeres says.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Dr. Mikkael Sekeres is chief of the Division of Hematology at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Sekeres' focus is on myeloid cancers, and particularly myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in older adults. Read More

AML Treatment

Which treatment route a person with AML will take depends on their overall health and their specific disease. There have been some pretty incredible breakthroughs in treatment options in recent decades.

NOW
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Advancements In FLT3 Inhibitors: New Drugs For Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
NOW
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AML - Initial Treatment Overview
NOW
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Understanding the Phases of AML Treatment
NOW
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Differentiation Syndrome In Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients
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The Benefits of Combination Drug Therapy Using Ventecolax for AML

Treatment : Treatment Options

SEE MORE   
  • For people deemed healthy enough, induction therapy is the standard treatment for AML
  • The process involves a seven-day chemotherapy regiment, followed by several weeks of recovery
  • The goal with this high-dose of chemo is to induce remission
Treatment

AML - Initial Treatment Overview

Dr. Mikkael Sekeres
University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Treatment

Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Making Treatment Decisions

Dr. Mikkael Sekeres
University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Treatment

Understanding the Phases of AML Treatment

Dr. Richard Stone
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Treatment : Treatment Options

  • For people deemed healthy enough, induction therapy is the standard treatment for AML
  • The process involves a seven-day chemotherapy regiment, followed by several weeks of recovery
  • The goal with this high-dose of chemo is to induce remission

Treatment : Stem-Cell Transplants

SEE MORE   
  • Stem-cell transplants allow doctors to give people with AML high doses of chemotherapy
  • After chemo and a transplant, the recovery process can be very difficult as the immune system will be severely compromised
  • Finding a “genetic match” in a donor can also be difficult
Treatment

What Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Patients Should Expect During A Bone Marrow Transplant

Dr. Caitlin Costello
UC San Diego Health
Treatment

Side Effects of Stem-Cell Transplants For AML

Dr. Caitlin Costello
UC San Diego Health
Treatment

Allogeneic Stem-Cell Transplant for Intermediate Risk AML Patients

Dr. George Yaghmour
Keck School of Medicine - USC
Treatment

Recovering After a Stem-Cell Transplant

Dr. Caitlin Costello
UC San Diego Health
Treatment

Post-Remission Therapy For AML: Allogeneic Stem-Cell Transplant

Dr. Richard Stone
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Treatment : Stem-Cell Transplants

  • Stem-cell transplants allow doctors to give people with AML high doses of chemotherapy
  • After chemo and a transplant, the recovery process can be very difficult as the immune system will be severely compromised
  • Finding a “genetic match” in a donor can also be difficult

Treatment : Finding a Stem-Cell Donor

SEE MORE   
Treatment

Finding The Ideal Donor For A Stem-Cell Transplant

Dr. Caitlin Costello
UC San Diego Health
Treatment

Preparing For A Stem-Cell Transplant

Dr. Caitlin Costello
UC San Diego Health

Treatment : Finding a Stem-Cell Donor

Treatment : Targeted Therapies

SEE MORE   
  • There have been some incredible breakthroughs in AML treatment options in recent decades
  • A wave of new targeted therapies have been approved for the disease, and doctors hope these approvals will unlock new and improved treatment options for those living with AML

The Benefits of Combination Drug Therapy Using Ventecolax for AML

Dr. Raoul Tibes
NYU Langone Health
Relapse

Advancements In FLT3 Inhibitors: New Drugs For Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Dr. Raoul Tibes
NYU Langone Health

Treatment : Targeted Therapies

  • There have been some incredible breakthroughs in AML treatment options in recent decades
  • A wave of new targeted therapies have been approved for the disease, and doctors hope these approvals will unlock new and improved treatment options for those living with AML

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