Photo Credit: Nemes Laszlo

For older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), posttransplant outcomes have improved over time, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research. To examine changes over time, Ali Bazarbachi, PhD, MPH, and colleagues identified 7,215 patients with AML who received allo-HCT between 2000 and 2021 and were in first complete remission (64%), second or subsequent remission (14%), or had active disease (22%). The median follow-up was 40 months. The researchers found that over the 3 time periods (2000 to 2009, 2010 to 2014, and 2015 to 2021), the 3-year cumulative relapse incidence decreased gradually and significantly from 37% to 31% to 30%. Nonrelapse mortality decreased from 37% to 31% to 27%. There were gradual and significant improvements in 3-year leukemia-free survival, from 32% to 38% to 44%, and overall survival, from 37% to 42% to 49%. After 2015, researchers found significant improvements in relapse incidence, leukemia-free survival, and overall survival in a multivariable analysis, but there was no significant change in nonrelapse mortality. Patients experienced improvements regardless of disease status at transplant.