Abstract
Survival of elderly patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is poor. A single published study on patients with AML aged 80 years and above (
DeLima et al.,
) concluded that chemotherapy was not indicated since median overall survival (OS) of 29 treated patients was 1 month, 9 patients reached complete remission (CR) of 3 months median duration, and only two survived over 1 year: for 15.5 and >18 months. The aim of our study was to identify the characteristics of elderly AML patients who may reach CR by standard chemotherapy. We analyzed 9 consecutive patients with de novo AML aged 80–90 (median 83) years treated by us in 1992–2007. All bone marrow films were hypercelullar with 48–92 (median 80) % leukemic cells, classified as FAB types: 2 M2, 6 M4, and 1 M5. Six patients, all with hypertension and five with ischaemic heart disease (IHD), received chemotherapy, while 3 patients (82–87 years old) opted for supportive or palliative therapy and survived 1–4 months. Cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) 100 mg/sqm/12 h in 3-h infusion for 7 days and 3 doses of daunorubicin (DNR) 45 mg/sqm/d i.v. (D+A, 1 case) or mitozantrone (MTZ) 10 mg/sqm/d i.v. (M+A, 3 cases) was given to 4 patients. The remaining two patients received D+A with thioguanine (TG) 100 mg/sqm/12 h p.o. for 7 days (TAD). Their WHO performance status (PS) was 4x PS3, 1x PS2, 1x PS1, and median WBC 58 (17.9–97.8) × 10^9/L. Three patients with AML M4 and normal karyotype reached CR. Maintenance therapy consisted of 4-day courses administered in intervals of 5–12 (median 8) weeks according to the patient’s clinical status and tolerance until relapse. Courses containing Ara-C 60 mg/sqm/12h s.c. with TG 70 mg/sqm/12h p.o. were repeated 3x. The fourth course was 1+4 containing a single dose DNR or MTZ as described and Ara-C. The outcomes: An 85 year-old female with IHD and LVEF 25 % reached CR with TAD. She was on maintenance in CR for 17 months when severe heart arrhythmia developed. She refused a pacemaker implantation and died 3 days later. Her OS was 18.6 months. An 80 year-old male reached CR with M+A and was on maintenance therapy when relapsed after 19.7 months. He refused further chemotherapy and his OS was 28 months. An 80 year-old female (PS1, Flt3-ITD neg.) reached CR after D+A 3+7 and got one cycle D+A 2+5 without further maintenance. Her CR lasted 10.1 months. She was further treated with 2 cycles of low-dose Ara-C and her OS was 16.5 months. Three other patients, two with normal karyotype, did not reach CR after chemotherapy. A 90 year-old male with AML M4 died of mycotic pneumonia on the 24th day of TAD induction. An 83 year-old male with AML M5, PS2, experienced nonQ myocardial infarction after M+A induction and did not reach CR. He was further treated with hydroxyurea with OS of 2.7 months. An 80 year-old female with AML M2, complex karyotype, renal insufficiency and sepsis died after 7th hemodialysis in septic shock on 10th day of M+A induction. All three patients who reached CR did not exhibit dysplasia in erythroblastic or megakaryocytic lineage showing that only granulocyte-macrophage lineage was involved in the leukemic clone (single–lineage AMLs). In contrast, all 3 patients who did not reach CR exhibited megakaryocytic dysplasia in a half or more of megakaryocytes and two had erythroblastic dysplasia in more than 26% erythroblasts. They represent a different biological category of AMLs with multi-lineage involvement. In summary, we defined a biological category of single-lineage AML patients over 80 years of age who may benefit from standard dose chemotherapy in spite of their poor performance status.Br. J. Haematol.
1996
; 93
: 89
Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
(Supported by the grant MZO0064165)
Author notes
Corresponding author
2008, The American Society of Hematology
2008
This feature is available to Subscribers Only
Sign In or Create an Account Close Modal