Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL)
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a distinct subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), characterized by the translocation between chromosomes 15 and 17, resulting in the fusion gene PML-RARA. This genetic abnormality disrupts cell differentiation, leading to the accumulation of abnormal promyelocytes in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. APL is a medical emergency due to