Characteristics, outcomes and treatment patterns in acute myeloid leukemia patients 60 years or older in Colombia: a RENEHOC-PETHEMA study

Abstract

There is a limited information available on the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes on older patients diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in Latin-America. This multicenter retrospective study analyzed 269 patients over 60 years of age diagnosed with AML in Colombia, using data from RENEHOC-PETHEMA registry, from 2009 to 2023. The median age at diagnosis was 70 years (Range:60–98), 55% were men, 61% had an ECOG < 2, and 75.5% had de novo AML. FLT3-ITD or NPM1 mutations were performed in 23.4% and 15.6% patients, and detected in 14.3% and 16.7% of cases, respectively. Treatment included intensive chemotherapy (IC) (36.8%), Low-Intensity Regimen Based on Low-Dose Cytarabine (LDAC-based) (12.6%), hypomethylating agents (HMAs, with/without venetoclax) (35.3%), and supportive care (15.2%). The overall survival (OS) rate was 35.2% at 1 year and 5.6% at 5 years (13.7% for IC, 9.4% for LDAC-based, and 0% for other treatments); with median OS of 8.2 months (10.6 months after IC, 8.8 months after non-IC, 8.9 months after azacitidine/decitabine, 8.2 months after azacitidine-venetoclax, and 1.9 months with supportive care). Only 1.5% of patients underwent a transplant in the first line. The Leukemia-free survival (LFS) rate was 45.8% at 1-year and 13.7% at 5-years (22.4% for IC, 9.4% and 0% for other treatments); with median LFS of 9.5 months (17.3 months after IC, 7.4 months after LDAC-based, and 10.8 months after HMA). This study provides new insights into the management of patients in Colombia, highlighting the need for a highly individualized approach in treating AML in elderly patients.