Although AML is the most common acute leukemia in adults (accounting for approximately 80% of cases), it is still a rare disease. For instance, in the United States and Europe, only 3 to 4 new cases of AML per 100,000 men and women are diagnosed on a yearly basis. These numbers represent an average of all people from all ages. The risk of developing AML increases as people get older. This is why when looking specifically at people aged 65 and above, we find that the number of new cases of AML increases to 12 cases per 100,000 men and women. A very limited number of studies have looked at how many cases of AML are diagnosed in Middle Eastern countries on a yearly basis, however, there is no evidence that these numbers are higher than those reported for the United States or European countries.
Sources:
Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2015. CA Cancer J Clin 2015; 65:5.
SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/amyl.html
Sant M, Allemani C, Tereanu C, et al. Incidence of hematologic malignancies in Europe by morphologic subtype: results of the HAEMACARE project. Blood 2010; 116:3724.