The response to induction therapy is crucial for the treatment outcomes of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia: single-institution experience

The prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients remains poor due to their poor general condition and the intrinsic chemotherapy-resistant nature of their leukemia cells. The present retrospective study evaluated the clinical background as well as the response to treatment, of an un...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anticancer research 2014-10, Vol.34 (10), p.5631-5636
Main Authors: Tasaki, Toshiki, Yamauchi, Takahiro, Matsuda, Yasufumi, Takai, Mihoko, Ookura, Miyuki, Lee, Shin, Tai, Katsunori, Ikegaya, Satoshi, Kishi, Shinji, Yoshida, Akira, Urasaki, Yoshimasa, Iwasaki, Hiromichi, Ueda, Takanori
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Induction Chemotherapy
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - diagnosis
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - drug therapy
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - mortality
Male
Treatment Outcome
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients remains poor due to their poor general condition and the intrinsic chemotherapy-resistant nature of their leukemia cells. The present retrospective study evaluated the clinical background as well as the response to treatment, of an unselected group of elderly patients with AML who were admitted to our Institution over a period of six years. Patients aged 65 years or older with AML admitted to our Institution between January 2005 and May 2011 were evaluated retrospectively. Forty-six patients were admitted to our Institution, among whom 41 received remission induction chemotherapy. Twenty-four patients received intensive chemotherapy, while 13 received low-dose cytarabine-based chemotherapy. Other modalities were used in four patients. Complete remission was obtained in 20 patients (48.8%). The complete remission rate (50.0%) tended to be higher in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy than in those receiving low-dose cytarabine-based regimens (30.7%; p=0.25). The median survival time for the whole patient group was 12 months and the 2-year overall survival was 18%. The median survival times for patients with complete remission and for non-responding patients were 14 months and 7 months, respectively. The 2-year overall survival in patients with complete remission was 32%, while that of non-responding patients was 6% (p=0.0025, log-rank test). The present study suggests the necessity of achieving complete remission for obtaining better survival for elderly patients with AML.
ISSN:0250-7005
1791-7530