Treating the elderly patient with acute myelogenous leukemia.
Decisions regarding the optimal treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia in the elderly patient requires the consideration of multiple factors. Population-based studies have demonstrated that, for all age groups, aggressive therapy results in improved survival and quality of life when compared with palliative care. The optimal induction and postremission regimen for older patients has yet to be determined. Furthermore, not all patients are candidates for such therapy. Consideration of patient and disease-related factors can help to determine the appropriateness of intensive therapy in a given patient. For those patients for whom aggressive induction therapy does not seem to be in their best interest, novel agents are being investigated that will hopefully address the issues of induction death and early relapse associated with these patient populations.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, and Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplant Program, Hematology-Oncology Division, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. selina.luger@uphs.upenn.edu
Selina M
SM
Luger
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012074:Remission Induction