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Acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplasia

Leucémies aigües myéloïdes et myélodysplasies

Treatments for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplasia

Acute myeloid leukemia is treated with courses of chemotherapy administered intravenously during hospitalization in the hematology department of Institut Curie. 

Myelodysplasias form a heterogeneous group of diseases. The treatment is therefore adapted to the profile of each patient: proportion of diseased cells in the myelogram, importance of anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. Depending on these results, a decision will be made to perform red blood cell or platelet transfusions, administer growth factors, particularly erythropoietin (EPO), or prescribe targeted therapies. 

Under certain special conditions, a bone marrow transplant may be proposed. 

Institut Curie is one of the specialized cancer centers able to treat patients with both lung cancer and myelodysplasia, or breast cancer and acute myeloid leukemia. This expertise has been developed as part of its activity with the many cancer patients welcomed and treated at the institute.

Chemotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia begins with a course of so-called induction chemotherapy. The objective? Destroy bone marrow cells, resulting in a period of several weeks of aplasia, defined by the rarefaction of blood cells in both the marrow and the blood, and therefore the transient drop in all immune defenses. During this period, the patient is hospitalized to reduce the chance of infection. The use of antibiotics and transfusions of platelets and red blood cells may be necessary. Performing a new myelogram at the end of induction treatment allows for the regeneration of normal bone marrow cells and the disappearance of leukemic cells to be assessed.

Targeted therapy for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplasia

Targeted therapy alone or combined with chemotherapy makes it possible to block the functioning of cancer cells. This new practice is an area where progress is important. Some patients with myelodysplasia benefit from subcutaneous azacitidine treatments. This same treatment is also prescribed, combined with venetoclax, orally in patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia and with a contraindication to chemotherapy.

Supportive care for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplasia

During chemotherapy or targeted therapy treatments, doctors prescribe antibiotics, growth factors, and transfusions of red blood cells or platelets, when necessary.

Institut Curie, the leading cancer center in France

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