Study finds new treatment target for aggressive blood cancer

The Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), reported the following findings in the journal Experimental Hematology.
The researchers have discovered an interaction between two molecules that may contribute to the development of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. They suggest the pathway could be a potential target for treating the aggressive blood cancer (AML)and that one of the molecules could serve as a biomarker in personalized therapy of the disease.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer whose diagnosis is often associated with poor survival. The cancer starts in cells that would normally develop into various types of blood cell.
As AML progresses, more and more dysfunctional blood cells accumulate in the body.
The disease mostly affects older people and is not usually seen in patients under the age of 45.
According to the American Cancer Society, there were about 18,860 new cases of AML and 10,460 deaths to the disease in the US in 2014.