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Acute myeloblastic leukemia with maturation is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia.
Acute myeloid leukemia is a type of cancer affecting blood cells that eventually develop into non-lymphocyte white blood cells. The disease originates from the bone marrow, the soft inner portion of select bones where blood stem cells develop into either lymphocyte or in this particular condition, myeloid cells. This acute disease prevents bone marrow cells from properly maturing, thus causing an accumulation of immature myeloblast cells in the bone marrow.
Acute myeloid leukemia is more lethal than chronic myeloid leukemia, a disease that affects the same myeloid cells, but at a different pace. Many of the immature blast cells in acute myeloid leukemia have a higher loss of function and thus, a higher inability to carry out normal functions than those more developed immature myeloblast cells in chronic myeloid leukemia. Acute in acute myeloid leukemia means that the amounts of blast cells are increasing at a very high rate. Myeloid refers to the type of white blood cells that are affected by the condition.
Acute myeloid leukemia is the most common acute leukemia that is affecting the adult population. The 5-year survival rate for the cancer stands at around 26%.