title: [Should patients over 65 years old with acute myeloid leukemia be treated with myelosuppressive chemotherapy?].
abstract: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is frequently encountered in elderly patients (> 65) whereas most myelosuppressive chemotherapy protocols are restricted to younger patients. We retrospectively reviewed the 21 patients older than 65 (median age: 70, range: 66-86) hospitalized in our leukemia unit for recently diagnosed AML between 1. 1. 1988 and 31. 3. 1993. 16 had de novo AML (n-AML) and 5 had AML secondary to myelodysplastic syndromes (s-AML). Induction therapy consisted of cytarabine and either daunorubicine or mitoxantrone at conventional dosage in 18/21 patients. Early consolidation therapy was given to 14/21 patients and consisted of m-AMSA and VP-16 in 11 of them. The response to, and toxicity from, myelosuppressive chemotherapy was different according to the type of AML. In patients with n-AML a complete remission (CR) was obtained in 63% (10/16) and only 19% (3/16) died of MCT-related toxicity. In contrast, only 1/5 patients with s-AML achieved CR while 4/5 died of toxicity. The median duration of CR was 40 weeks (range: 5-147+) and median overall survival 23 weeks (range: 1-211+), with an estimated 3-year overall survival rate of 9.5% (2/21). Overall survival of patients with n-AML was significantly longer than that of patients with s-AML (p < 0.05). Hospital stay in relation to survival time was 100% for patients with s-AML, 49% for patients with n-AML not achieving CR and 25% for patients with n-AML with CR. In conclusion, elderly patients with AML can benefit from myelosuppressive chemotherapy providing they present with de novo AML.
authors.affiliation: Département de médecine interne, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, Lausanne.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Spataro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cometta
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Glauser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schapira
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Grob
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
vernacular_title: Faut-il traiter avec une chimiothérapie aplasiante des patients de plus de 65 ans souffrant d'une leucémie myéloïde aiguë?