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There Are Two Types of
Secondary AML (sAML)

sAML includes two main subtypes:
AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) and therapy-related AML (t-AML).¹

Did You Know?

AML-MRC and t-AML are “secondary” types of AML because they usually occur after myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or another type of cancer.^1,2

sAML Constitutes ~30%
of AML Cases

AML-MRC accounts for ~25% of cases,
t-AML makes up ~4-10% of cases.^3,4

MDS and sAML Are Rare

In the U.S., about 60-170,000 people are living with MDS, with an estimated 87,000 new cases each year worldwide.^2,5
sAML constitutes about 30% of AML cases.^3,4

MDS Can Progress to AML-MRC

Approximately 30% of patients with a history of MDS will progress to AML-MRC.⁶

Age Is a Factor

MDS and sAML are more common in older people.^2,7

Immature Blood Cells Are a Cause

MDS and sAML occur when blood cells do not grow properly. These immature cells are called “blasts.”^2,8,9

sAML Progresses Quickly

sAML can spread rapidly,
which is why it’s important to begin treatment as soon as possible.¹⁰

¹ Ossenkoppele G, Montesinos P. Challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of secondary acute myeloid leukemia. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2019;138:6-13.

² MDS Foundation. What is MDS? https://www.mds-foundation.org/what-is-mds/. Accessed June 2, 2020.

³ Nagel G, Weber D, Fromm E, et al. German Austrian AML Study Group (AMLSG). Epidemiological, genetic, and clinical characterization by age of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia based on an academic population-based registry study (AMLSG BiO). Ann Hematol. 2017;96(12):1993-2003.

⁴ Leone G, Mele L, Pulsoni, A, et al. The incidence of secondary leukemias. Haematologica. 1999;84(10):937-945.

⁵ Cogle, CR. Incidence and burden of the myelodysplastic syndromes. Curr Hematol Malig Resp. 2015;10(3):272-281.

⁶ Porwit A, Saft L. The AML─MDS interface─leukemic transformation in myelodysplastic syndromes. J Hematopathol. 2011;4(2):69-79.

⁷ Cheung E, Perissinotti AJ, Bixby DL, et al. The leukemia strikes back: a review of pathogenesis and treatment of secondary AML. Ann Hematol. 2019;98(3):541-559.

⁸ American Cancer Society. What are myelodysplastic syndromes? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/myelodysplastic-syndrome/about/what-is-mds.html. Updated January 22, 2018. Accessed May 13, 2020.

⁹ National Cancer Institute. NCI dictionary of cancer terms. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms. Accessed June 2, 2020.

¹⁰ National Cancer Institute. Adult acute myeloid leukemia treatment (PDQ^®) - patient version. https://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/adult-aml-treatment-pdq. Updated March 6, 2020. Accessed May 13, 2020.