Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Childhood, Essay Example

Introduction

Diseases that are associated with cancer are a serious cause of trauma even after recovery and leukemia is one such a disease that affects majority of the children especially in their teen age years and accounts for 1 in every four cases of cancer. Although leukemia is a fairly rare disease, a victim is left with serious traumatic experiences. One of the most common types of leukemia is the Acute Myeloid Leukemia, AML, which mostly affects children and rates second from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL. Acute Myeloid Leukemia is basically a form of cancer that affects the lymph nodes as well as the bone marrow and it potentially affects children as well as adults (NIH, September 2015). Acute Myeloid Leukemia affects the functioning of bone marrow in regulation of the production of cells that support the proper functioning of the body.  Acute Myeloid Leukemia distorts the regulatory mechanism resulting to the production of excessive blasts, abnormal immature cells which results to disruption of the normal organ functioning. Whereas in every three of the four cases of leukemia that affects children and adolescents involve acute lymphoblastic leukemia, majority of the remaining cases involve Acute Myeloid Leukemia, AML. And whereas cases of ALL are reported at the ages of 2 to 4 years, most of the Acute Myeloid Leukemia cases are generally spread out evenly in the childhood years of the victim although its intensity is associated with the first two years as well as in the teen age period of the victim. In US, approximately 500 children together with about 230 teenagers have been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia every year (Viana, Cunha, Ramos & Murao, 489-96). The survival rate for the Acute Myeloid Leukemia has been documented at five years after Acute Myeloid Leukemia diagnosis. For the children below the age of 14 years, the survival rate of the five years has been documented as 64% but the subtype of Acute Myeloid Leukemia also plays a crucial role in the determination of the survival rate.

In this paper, I will write about Acute Myeloid Leukemia through introducing the symptoms. I will then mention the potential causes of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and how they can be prevented. After that, I will analyze the rapid progression of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and the need to take timely interventions and the available treatment options.

Conclusion

Acute Myeloid Leukemia causes a lot of agony to the parents of the child who has been infected with the disease while the child may undergo untold suffering that may lead to traumatic experiences in the future. The role of the parent therefore should be to assist the child in seeking timely medical intervention as well as offering emotional as well as physical support during all the stages in the management of the disease especially at the treatment phase. Acute Myeloid Leukemia can lead to death within a few weeks after infection. In this regard, the most common forms of treatment to be considered include chemotherapy, transplantation of the bone marrow, radiation, transplantation of the cord blood. Conducting diagnosis as well as therapeutic procedures should also be taken seriously by the parents to facilitate for sufficient information that will enhance the effectiveness of the treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Works cited

Viana M, Cunha K, Ramos G, & Murao M. Acute myeloid leukemia in childhood: fifteen-year experience in a single institution. Jornal de Pediatria 2003; 79(6): 489-96. http://jped.com.br/artigod etalhe.aspx?varArtigo=1108 (accessed 11th September 2015).

NIH. Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia. September 2015 [cited 2015 Sep 11]; Available from: http://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/child-aml-treatment-pdq