Fanconi Anaemia Australia
welcome
Who is Fanconi Anaemia Australia?
Fanconi Anaemia Australia provides a variety of support services to families suffering Fanconi Anaemia, in addition to providing broad-based education doctors, carers, families and the general public. Fanconi Anaemia Australia was first established in February 2006 by Alan Howard-Jones as an Incorporated Association (FA Australia Incorporated). Alan's wife Charisse (now deceased) was a sufferer of Fanconi Anaemia, and following their attendance at Camp Sunshine in Maine USA in 2005, Alan founded the organisation to provide support to Australian families and to assist in increasing public awareness of the disorder. The organisation was restructured in 2007 as a Public company called Fanconi Anaemia Australia Ltd
Understanding Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
Acknowledgements
Fanconi Anaemia Australia Ltd gratefully acknowledges The Leukaemia Foundation of Australia for granting us permission to use some of the material in their booklets and information sheets to provide the following information (Oct 2009)
What is Leukaemia?…
Leukaemia is the general name given to a group of cancers that develop in the bone marrow. Leukaemia originates in developing blood cells, which have undergone a malignant change. This means that they multiply in an uncontrolled way and do not mature as they are supposed to. Because they have not matured properly, these cells are unable to function properly. Most cases of leukaemia originate in developing white cells. In a small number of cases leukaemia develops in other blood-forming cells, for example in developing red cells or developing platelets.
Types of leukaemia…
There are several different types, and subtypes, of leukaemia.
Leukaemia can be either acute or chronic. The terms ‘acute’ and ‘chronic’ refer to how quickly the disease develops and progresses.
Acute myeloid leukaemia…
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a type of cancer that affects immature blood cells on the myeloid cell line. AML causes an overproduction of abnormal blast cells (immature white cells), which crowd the bone marrow and prevent it from making normal blood cells. Because the bone marrow cannot function properly, it cannot produce adequate numbers of red cells, normal white cells and platelets. This makes people with AML more susceptible to anaemia, recurrent infections and to bruising and bleeding easily. The abnormal blast cells (leukaemic blasts) eventually spill out into the blood stream and can accumulate in various organs like the spleen and liver.
Most Recent Comments