Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
The terms 1 and 5 year survival do not mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
Statisticians and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
There are statistics available for AML survival in England. But there are no UK wide statistics for people with AML that also include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The figures for 1 year survival are for people diagnosed between 2018 and 2020. The figures for 5 year survival are for people diagnosed between 2014 and 2016. Generally for all people with AML in England:
More than 40 out of 100 people (more than 40%) will survive their leukaemia for 1 year or more after being diagnosed
More than 20 out of 100 people (more than 20%) will survive their leukaemia for 5 years or more after being diagnosed
Several factors can affect your outlook (prognosis). These are called prognostic factors. Here is a list of some of the factors affecting survival:
Your age affects outlook. Younger people have a better prognosis.
Outlook is affected by changes in your . Your doctor does tests to look for these . These are called and molecular tests
Some specific genetic abnormalities in your leukaemia cells may make your leukaemia harder to treat successfully.
Your count at diagnosis affects your outlook. If you have a high number of white blood cells in the blood at diagnosis, the outlook is poorer.
The outcome depends on whether you had leukaemia that changed (transformed) from a chronic form into an acute form. It can be more difficult to treat leukaemia that has transformed. Or if it has developed from a blood condition called myelodysplasia.
It may also be harder to treat a leukaemia that has developed after treatment for another cancer. This is called a secondary leukaemia. It means that you developed leukaemia after earlier chemotherapy damaged your bone marrow cells. This is rare, but it can happen. Secondary leukaemia usually develops within 10 years of treatment for the first cancer.
Your outlook is affected by how well the leukaemia responds to treatment and how long it takes to get a remission. Remission means the leukaemia is not active and doctors cannot find any sign of it. If it takes a long time to get your leukaemia into remission, your leukaemia may be more difficult to treat successfully.
This page is due for review. We will update this as soon as possible.
Last reviewed: 03 Oct 2023
Next review due: 03 Oct 2026
AML is a type of blood cancer that starts from young white blood cells in the bone marrow. Find out how common it is and who might get it.
Chemotherapy is the main treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Other treatments include a stem cell transplant and targeted cancer drugs.
Doctors divide AML into different groups (subtypes). They also divide AML into risk groups based on genetic changes and other factors.
Support is available to help you cope during and after acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) treatment. This includes information on diet, physical activity, sex, fertility and life after a transplant.
AML is a type of blood cancer that starts in white blood cells in the bone marrow. Find out about the symptoms, risks, treatment and support for people with AML.
