Although it depends on the exact subtype of AML, as well as the patient's age, clinical condition, and other factors, it can generally be said that treatment for AML is done in two phases. The first is known as induction therapy, in which the patient is often given a chemotherapeutic drug to achieve complete remission. The definition of complete remission is revised from time to time, but it can be basically defined as a state of normal hematopoiesis after the induction therapy.
Patients should be evaluated after about two weeks of induction therapy by examination of bone marrow aspirate and biopsy. If these do not indicate that the patient is in remission, then they typically would receive another round of induction therapy.
Those patients that do show they are in complete remission are often offered consolidation therapy in order to treat any residual disease that has not been detected. Options for such treatment include chemotherapy and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants.
