Tatiana Schlossberg, the 35-year-old granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rapidly progressing blood cancer, as she shared in an essay published in The New Yorker. The article draws attention to the warning signs of AML, including severe fatigue, shortness of breath, and unusual bleeding, which Schlossberg described as the first indicators of her disease.
Schlossberg, daughter of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, learned of her diagnosis in May 2024, following an abnormally high white blood cell count detected shortly after giving birth to her second child. Her AML is associated with a rare genetic mutation, inversion 3, which is known to confer resistance to standard chemotherapy and a poor prognosis, according to medical experts. Dr. Stephen Chung, a leukemia specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, emphasized the significance of inversion 3, noting its high rate of treatment resistance and poor survival rates.
Doctors have noted that AML typically spreads rapidly from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, potentially reaching other parts of the body such as the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, brain, spinal cord, and testicles. The article also provides information on risk factors for AML, including prior chemotherapy, smoking, and long-term exposure to benzene, though most cases occur without a clear cause. Schlossberg’s case has brought increased attention to the importance of genetic screening in AML patients, as researchers suggest that inherited mutations may be more common than previously believed.
Standard treatment for AML includes intensive chemotherapy with a combination of drugs, with stem cell transplants often used for higher-risk cases. While there is no specific treatment for Schlossberg’s mutation, new cellular therapies and immunotherapies are being explored. For older patients who cannot undergo intensive chemotherapy, a combination therapy involving venetoclax and azacytidine is often used. Despite the challenges, there is optimism in the medical community, with advancements in AML treatment over the past decade showing significant progress, including the approval of new targeted drugs and the exploration of immune-based therapies like CAR-T.