ASH Clinical News December 2016 | Page 74

AML is swarming with challenges Impact of disease • Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia in adults, accounting for approximately 25% of leukemia diagnoses, with an estimated 19,950 new cases in the United States this year1,2 • The 5-year survival rate in patients with AML is about 26%1 • An estimated 10,430 patients will die from AML this year1 AML evolves rapidly because of its polyclonal and heterogeneous features, contributing to the clinical challenges of this disease3 • As indicators of prognosis, cytogenetic and molecular mutation testing are recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) at diagnosis4 • Evaluation of molecular mutations may be important for risk assessment and prognosis to help guide treatment decisions4