All content on this site is intended for healthcare professionals only. By acknowledging this message and accessing the information on this website you are confirming that you are a Healthcare Professional. If you are a patient or carer, please visit Know AML.
The aml Hub website uses a third-party service provided by Google that dynamically translates web content. Translations are machine generated, so may not be an exact or complete translation, and the aml Hub cannot guarantee the accuracy of translated content. The aml and its employees will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages (even if foreseeable) resulting from use of the Google Translate feature. For further support with Google Translate, visit Google Translate Help.
The AML Hub is an independent medical education platform, sponsored by Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo, Johnson & Johnson, Kura Oncology and Syndax, and has been supported through educational grants from Bristol Myers Squibb and the Hippocrate Conference Institute, an association of the Servier Group. The funders are allowed no direct influence on our content. The levels of sponsorship listed are reflective of the amount of funding given. View funders.
Now you can support HCPs in making informed decisions for their patients
Your contribution helps us continuously deliver expertly curated content to HCPs worldwide. You will also have the opportunity to make a content suggestion for consideration and receive updates on the impact contributions are making to our content.
Find out moreCreate an account and access these new features:
Bookmark content to read later
Select your specific areas of interest
View AML content recommended for you
Maximilian Stahl from Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, and colleagues conducted a large retrospective study, which investigated the efficacy of hypomethylating agents (HMAs) in relapsed or refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and evaluated for predictors of outcomes that can identify patients most likely to benefit from HMAs.
Using an international multicenter retrospective database, 655 patients (median age at diagnosis = 65 years; range, 16–92) with relapsed (n = 290) or refractory (n = 365) AML were included in this study. Patients were administered azacitidine (57%) or decitabine (43%). Among patients treated with azacitidine, 76.5% received a 7-day (7-0) schedule of azacitidine, whereas 17.9% and 2.4% of patients received a 5-day (5-0) and a 7-day schedule with a weekend break (5-2-2), respectively. Among patients treated with decitabine, 72.1%, 1.2%, and 19.9% received a 5-day (5-0), a 7-day (7-0), and a 10-day (10-0) schedule, respectively.
The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints included complete remission (CR) and CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi) rates.
This is the largest study of HMAs in R/R AML until date with a significant subset of patients (16%) achieving CR/CRi and a median OS of 21.2 months (95% CI, 16.3–28.6). These findings demonstrate that “outside of a clinical trial, HMAs represent a reasonable therapeutic option for some patients with RR AML”. Some key limitations of this study include its retrospective nature and patient selection bias.
The authors noted that their study “helps to inform the discussion between providers and patients regarding HMAs as a treatment option for R/R AML” and demonstrates “the urgent need for improved therapeutic options.” They also added that their study serves as a “valuable reference in the development of future clinical trial using HMAs as the backbone”.
References