Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) treatment is a lengthy process that requires significant patience and determination from patients, their families, and the healthcare team.

The primary goal of treatment is to reduce the percentage of leukemia (blast) cells, which are typically found to be above 20% in the bone marrow at diagnosis, to below 5%. To achieve this goal, the following treatment stages are generally applied:

1. Remission Induction Therapy:
* This phase aims to bring the disease into remission, meaning to reduce leukemia cells below the target threshold of 5%.
* It is generally the standard approach for patients under 60 years of age with good clinical performance status.
* Treatment may include chemotherapy and/or targeted therapies (smart drugs) that target existing surface antigens or genetic abnormalities.
* Chemotherapy typically lasts 7 days. In patients with an FLT-3 mutation, smart drugs may be administered between days 8-21.
* The eradication of leukemia cells from the bone marrow and their replacement by healthy cells takes approximately one month, provided no additional complications arise. Close inpatient monitoring is essential during this period.

2. Consolidation Therapy (Intensification Therapy):
* This treatment is administered after remission has been achieved (i.e., the leukemia cell percentage has fallen below 5%) to maintain this remission and prevent disease recurrence.

3. Maintenance Therapy:
* Maintenance therapy with smart drugs may be administered, particularly in patients who have undergone transplantation and have an FLT-3 mutation.
* There is currently no clear consensus regarding the optimal duration of this treatment.