Real World Data Venetoclax Based Therapies in a Single Center in Latin America

Introduction: Venetoclax-based therapies have changed the outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia, in combination with hypomethylating agents, low-dose cytarabine or in older patients not eligible for intensive regimens. Combinations with venetoclax with target therapy and with standard chemotherapy are being tested to improve outcomes in specific subgroups. In Latin America, the lack of clinical trials increases prescriptions not yet approved in international guidelines (off-label use). In this paper, we present data from a private reference center in Latin America for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and high-risk myelodysplasia.

Methods: This is a unicentric, retrospective, and non-interventional cohort study performed at Brazilian Hospital Albert Einstein. Inclusion criteria were adult patients (aged ≥18 years) diagnosed with AML between May 2019 and January 2023, who were treated with a venetoclax-based regimen. Independent variables analyzed were age, gender, prognostic risk according to ELN 2022, indication of bone marrow transplantation, and molecular and cytogenetic risk at diagnosis.

Results: Sixty-three (N= 63) patients were included, with a median age of 63.1 years old. Forty-eight patients received a combination of venetoclax and a hypomethylating agent, two were associated with low doses of cytarabine, eight were associated with target therapy (inhibitor of FLT3), and five with intensive chemotherapy. The median follow-up was 303 days, and the median use of venetoclax in those who did not suspend treatment was 352 days. The main cause of suspension was hematological toxicity. In the univariate analysis, the following onco-hematological karyotype variables, age, type of regimen combined with venetoclax, and decision for transplant did not show statistical significance.

Conclusion: Real-world data show that venetoclax-based therapies are effective in patients with AML, and their combinations have been increasingly explored.