What is the prognosis (outlook) for adults who have acute myeloid leukemia (AML)?

What is the prognosis (outlook) for adults who have acute myeloid leukemia (AML)?

Approximately 2 out of 3 adults with AML go into remission after getting chemotherapy. Remission means you don’t have disease symptoms. There are no detectable cancer cells in the bone marrow and the normal healthy cells are growing again.

Because AML often comes back, you may continue to get chemotherapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells and keep them away. Your healthcare provider may call this step post-remission (consolidation) chemotherapy. Up to half of people who get this treatment go into long-term remission. AML accounts for fewer than 2% of all cancer-related deaths.

If cancer comes back within 12 months of treatment, your provider may recommend a stem cell transplant if you are healthy enough to tolerate it. If you’ve relapsed, a bone marrow transplant is often the only chance for cure once the leukemia has gone back into remission.