Words to know: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Bone marrow
- The soft tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.
- Blast
- A young, immature blood cell. In AML, too many blasts fill the marrow.
- Myeloid
- The family of blood cells that become red cells, platelets, and certain white cells.
- Acute
- Fast-growing. Acute leukemia needs treatment soon after diagnosis.
- APL (acute promyelocytic leukemia)
- A special, very curable type of AML that can cause bleeding at the start and needs treatment right away.
- Neutropenia
- A low number of neutrophils, the white cells that fight bacteria. It raises the risk of infection.
- Platelets
- Small blood cells that help your blood clot and stop bleeding.
- Induction
- The first phase of treatment, meant to bring the leukemia into remission.
- Consolidation
- Treatment after remission to kill leukemia cells that are left.
- Maintenance
- Lower-intensity treatment taken for a longer time to help keep leukemia away.
- Remission
- When tests no longer find signs of leukemia under the microscope and blood counts recover.
- Relapse
- When leukemia comes back after remission.
- Refractory
- Leukemia that does not respond to treatment.
- MRD (measurable residual disease)
- Tiny amounts of leukemia left after treatment, found only by very sensitive tests.
- Risk group
- A way to sort AML by its gene changes to predict how it will respond to treatment.
- FLT3
- A gene that, when changed, can make AML grow faster. FLT3 inhibitor pills target it.
- NPM1
- A gene that is often changed in AML. It is usually linked to a better response.
- IDH1 and IDH2
- Genes that can be changed in AML and are targeted by IDH inhibitor pills.
- Hypomethylating agent
- A lower-intensity drug, such as azacitidine or decitabine, that helps turn genes back on in leukemia cells.
- Venetoclax
- A daily pill that helps leukemia cells die. It is often combined with azacitidine or decitabine.
- Menin inhibitor
- A newer type of pill, such as revumenib or ziftomenib, used for AML with NPM1 or KMT2A changes.
- Allogeneic stem cell transplant
- A transplant using blood-forming stem cells from a donor.
- Differentiation syndrome
- A serious reaction to some AML drugs that causes fever, trouble breathing, and swelling. It is treatable if caught early.
- Tumor lysis syndrome
- A problem where dying leukemia cells release salts that can harm the kidneys and heart.
- Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)
- When donor immune cells attack the body's healthy tissues after a transplant.
Last updated: 2026-10-27. Medically reviewed by Veli Bakalov, MD, medical oncologist (October 2026). General education from Step by Step, the patient portal of HemeOncBuddy.