Improved Survival of Elderly-fit Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia Requiring Intensive Therapy: 3-Year Multicenter Analysis From TALWG.

BACKGROUND

Elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a poorer prognosis than younger ones. Several factors contribute to the poor outcomes for this patient group.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

This study investigated the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes of elderly Thai patients with AML. This 3-year, prospective, multicenter study was focused on Thai patients with AML aged over 60 years who were diagnosed between 2014 and 2016.

RESULTS

Of 680 patients with AML, 235 elderly patients with AML (34.6%) were identified, with a mean age of 70 ± 8 years. Using a 3-group cytogenetic risk classification (favorable, intermediate, and adverse risk), the proportions of patients in each category were 3.6%, 73.8%, and 22.6%, respectively. The median follow-up time for surviving patients was 846 days. The median overall survival (OS) of the patients was 128.2 days (range, 0-1205 days), with a 1-year OS of 13%. From a multivariate analysis, the significant factors associated with an improved long-term OS were patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 2 and those receiving intensive therapy.

CONCLUSION

Our study confirms the high prevalence of AML in elderly patients with generally poor outcomes. Selected patients with a good performance status and those who received intensive induction treatment could have a long-term survival.