Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a rare and aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and blood that can be challenging to treat. In the past 20 years, more effective use of intensive chemotherapy, advances in supportive care, and progress in stem cell transplantation have helped increase 5-year survival rates to nearly 70%.

At the same time, improvements in diagnostic technologies—including the ability to detect residual disease—are enabling more precise, risk-adapted treatment strategies. Advances in genomic research now allow clinicians to identify key molecular features in most children with AML, helping guide more targeted therapies with the potential to improve outcomes while reducing treatment-related toxicity.

SUPPORT AML RESEARCH opens in a new tab

COG’s Work in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

COG’s Myeloid Diseases Committee has led major advances in the treatment of pediatric AML through biology-driven clinical trials. Landmark genomic studies, including the COG–NCI TARGET AML initiative, have improved how patients are classified by risk and helped identify new opportunities for targeted therapy. These discoveries are now shaping clinical trials design to match treatment intensity and approach to each patient’s disease.

The Committee has also pioneered less toxic, highly effective treatments for specific subtypes of AML. For example, the AAML1331 trial established chemotherapy-free or reduced- chemotherapy regimens for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), achieving cure rates of nearly 100%. The AAML1031 trial showed that adding targeted therapy to intensive chemotherapy significantly improved outcomes for patients with FLT3-ITD–mutated AML. Across its research, the Committee combines genomic discovery, risk-based treatment, and advances in supportive care to improve both survival and quality of life.

Back to all Clinical Focus Areas

AML: Key Statistics

  • > 0 %

    Patients with an identifiable genetic driver of AML 1.

  • + 0 %

    Improved survival rate for high-risk patients receiving stem cell transplants early in treatment 2.

Recent Publications

Discover More Publications

Because of COG’s global reach and outstanding infrastructure, we have been able to recruit patients with these rare diseases to several clinical trials, helping us learn about the uniqueness of each type of cancer...Together, these studies represent our greatest hope for the future – treatments that greatly improve survival rates and are less toxic to patients’ bodies.

Read More

COG Member Institutions

COG’s 220+ member institutions study and treat children and adolescents with cancer across a global network. These sites support patients from diagnosis through treatment and beyond, connecting families to clinical trials and specialized care closer to home.

Use our interactive map to find a COG member institution near you.

Find a Member Location

News from COG

As the world’s largest pediatric cancer research network, COG drives breakthroughs in treatment and improves outcomes for children with cancer. Explore the latest news and stories from across our global community.

See all News

Additional Resource Links:

The future for children with acute myeloid leukemia is shaped by today’s research.

Your support helps fuel discoveries that deepen understanding and move us closer to cures and more effective treatments.

Support AML Research opens in a new tab