“Acute” means that the leukemia usually gets worse quickly if it’s not treated. In AML, the bone marrow makes abnormal myeloblasts (a type of premature white blood cell), red blood cells, or platelets. When the abnormal cells crowd out the healthy cells, it can lead to infection, anemia, and easy bleeding. The abnormal cells can also spread outside the blood to other parts of the body.
There are several different subtypes of AML. The subtypes are based on how developed the cancer cells are when you get your diagnosis and how different they are from normal cells.
