A 22-year-old woman presents with a 2-week history of fatigue, bleeding from her gums, and very heavy menstrual bleeding.

A 22-year-old woman presents with a 2-week history of fatigue, bleeding from her gums, and very heavy menstrual bleeding. Physical examination reveals a pale woman with an enlarged spleen and petechiae on her legs. A complete blood cell count shows a markedly elevated white cell count (WBC 178,000) with severe anemia (hemoglobin 7.8) and thrombocytopenia (platelet count 25,000). Blast cells (abnormally immature leukemic cells) comprise 30% of the total white cell count. A bone marrow biopsy is positive for AML of the M1 type.

Questions:

1. How are leukemias classified in general, and more specifically how are AMLs classified?

2. What accounts for the patient's symptoms and physical findings? What other major symptoms or signs may be present?

3. What types of genetic abnormalities are responsible for the development of leukemias? How can this knowledge be used to treat some leukemias?