Recovery & Support for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Treatment and recovery for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can last for months, so doctors, nurses, and wellness experts at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center provide ongoing support for you and your family.

Follow-Up Care

After treatment ends, your doctor checks for a relapse, or return, of the cancer by performing regular physical exams and ordering blood tests or bone marrow biopsies every few months for several years. He or she can also help you manage any lingering side effects of treatments.

If AML returns after you have achieved remission, in which cancer cells are no longer detected in the blood, your doctor prescribes short-term, intensive chemotherapy drugs similar to those used during induction. If no cancer cells are detected in the blood after this treatment, your doctor may also perform an allogeneic stem cell transplant.

If the cancer doesn’t respond to standard chemotherapy regimens, your doctor may recommend a clinical trial, in which promising, new treatments are being studied.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation specialistsat NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation evaluate for and manage weakness, fatigue, or neurological problems after stem cell transplant or chemotherapy treatments. They can prescribe physical and occupational therapy as well asstrength training and aerobic exercise programs.

Our experts can help people with neuropathy—nerve damage that causes numbness, pain, tingling, and weakness in the hands and feet or other areas of the body—maintain balance and strength.

Fertility Management

Some treatments for acute myeloid leukemia can cause infertility in men and women of childbearing age and early menopause in women. Our specialists at NYU Langone’s Fertility Center and NYU Langone Reproductive Specialists of New York offer egg freezing or sperm banking prior to cancer treatments. For women, NYU Langone gynecologists can address symptoms caused by premature menopause, including hot flashes and bone loss.

Psychological and Social Support

Being diagnosed and treated for cancer can, understandably, lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. At NYU Langone, our specialists offer support groups and one-on-one counseling with a psycho-oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating the psychological and social effects of cancer. In addition, our social workers can help you address any financial issues that may arise during treatment.