Long-term survival can be achieved in a significant fraction of older patients with core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia treated with intensive chemotherapy

Abstract

Acute Myeloid Leukemia is mainly a disease of the elderly: however, the knowledge on the outcomes of treatment in core binding factor AML (CBFAML) in older population, is limited. We retrospectively collected data on 229 patients with CBF- AML followed long-term in the last two decades. A 5-year overall survival (OS) of 44.2% (95%CI, 39.9-47.5) and a 5-year event – free survival (EFS) of 32.9% (95%CI, 25.5-40.1) was observed. In a subgroup of >70-year patients who completed intensive therapy (induction + >3 courses of consolidation including autologous stem cell transplant: 10 patients) the median EFS was 11.8 months (95%CI, 9.4 – 15.2) and OS was 40.0% (95%CI, 36.4 – 44.1) at 5yr. In univariate analysis, age >70 (hazard ratio (HR) 1.78, [95%CI, 1.15 – 2.54], p=.008), failure to achieve remission following induction (HR, 8.96 [95%CI, 5.5 – 13.8], p=<.0001), no consolidation therapy (HR, 0.75 [95%CI, 0.47 – 1.84], p=.04) and less than 3 cycles of consolidation (HR, 1.48 [95%CI, 0.75 – 3.2], p=.0004), predicted poorer EFS. Our study shows that intensive therapy, in selected older CBF-AML patients, leads to longer survival. Achieving a CR seems to be the most important first step and at least 3 cycles of consolidation, an important second one. The analysis suggests that these patients should not be excluded from studies with intensive therapies.