What does refractory mean in leukemia?

Refractory AML means the leukemia did not respond to treatment. Complete remission has not been reached because the chemotherapy drugs did not kill enough leukemia cells. Both relapsed and refractory AML need more treatment to reach complete remission.

Can refractory AML be cured?

Abstract. Between 10% and 40% of newly diagnosed patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) do not achieve complete remission with intensive induction therapy and are therefore categorized as primary refractory or resistant. Few of these patients can be cured with conventional salvage therapy.

What does refractory AML mean?

Refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a very challenging complication in the management of AML. In this condition, the disease is refractory or resistant and patients fail to achieve complete remission following initial treatment.

Why are blasts high in leukemia?

In some cases, AML can also cause too many stem cells to become abnormal blood cells or platelets. These blasts crowd out the healthy cells in the bone marrow, and quickly spread to other parts of the body including the lymph nodes, spleen, and brain.

What does it mean to be refractory to treatment?

The word “refractory” in general use means stubborn or intractable, and in medicine it is specifically applied to disease that does not respond to treatment. Refractory cancer refers to cancer that may be resistant at the beginning of treatment, or becomes resistant during treatment.

What is the difference between relapsed and refractory?

What are relapsed and refractory diseases? Relapsed disease means a cancer has come back. Refractory disease means a cancer has stopped responding to treatment.

What is refractory ALL?

Some patients have residual leukemia cells in their bone marrow even after they receive intensive treatment. In these cases, the disease is referred to as being “refractory” (or “refractory ALL”).

What is a normal blast percentage?

The percentage of blasts in the bone marrow or blood is particularly important. Having at least 20% blasts in the marrow or blood is generally required for a diagnosis of AML. (In normal bone marrow, the blast count is 5% or less, while the blood usually doesn’t contain any blasts.)