title: Cytogenetics and age are major determinants of outcome in intensively treated acute myeloid leukemia patients older than 60 years: results from AMLSG trial AML HD98-B.
abstract: To assess the prognostic impact of cytogenetics in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving intensive induction and consolidation treatment according to a single protocol specifically designed for patients above age 60, pretreatment samples from 361 patients registered for the AML HD98-B trial of the German-Austrian AML Study Group were analyzed by chromosome banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization, and cytogenetic findings were correlated with outcome. Using a proportional hazards model with backward selection, 3 prognostic subgroups were identified based on the influence of cytogenetic abnormalities on overall survival (OS): low-risk, t(15;17), and inv(16) in 25 of 361 patients (7%); standard-risk, normal karyotype, t(8;21), t(11q23), +8 within a noncomplex karyotype, and +11 within a noncomplex karyotype in 208 of 361 patients (58%); high-risk, all other aberrations in 128 of 361 patients (35%). On multivariate analysis, high-risk cytogenetics (hazard ratio [HR], 2.24) and age above 70 years (HR, 2.34) were independent prognostic factors affecting OS, and stratification according to these parameters demonstrated that a large subgroup of patients (55%), characterized by age 70 or older or high-risk cytogenetics, or both, had very unfavorable treatment results despite intensive chemotherapy. Thus, karyotype and age are major determinants of outcome in elderly patients with AML.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital of Ulm, Robert-Koch-Str 8, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fröhling
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Schlenk
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kayser
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morhardt
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benner
authors.forename: Konstanze
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Döhner
authors.forename: Hartmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Döhner
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome