 | on-chemotherapy treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML or acute myeloid leukemia) |
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Are there any circumstances where chemotherapy should not be used for
treatment of AML? In particular, for a 55 year old woman with very low
platelet count that has had two transfusions and has run a fever of 103?
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-Acute Myelogenous leukemia usually presents with weakness (from lack of
red cells), bleeding (from lack of platelets) and infection (from lack
of functional white cells). Until the underlying disease is treated,
these problems will continue. Thus treatment is usually not delayed due
to a need for transfusion and would not be delayed for fever (but might
be delayed for sepsis.
The circumstances in which a physician would NOT use chemotherapy?
a. An unusual varient of AML called acute promyelogenous leukemia in
which treatment with trans retinoic acid is frequently used)
b. Someone who has already failed chemotherapy
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