A new study conducted by researchers at various institutions, including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, has found that patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who relapse after receiving allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) have a very poor long-term survival rate. The study, published in the journal Cancer, analyzed data from over 1,000 patients with AML who relapsed after HCT. It found that the overall survival rate at one year after relapse was only 21.3%. Additionally, patients who had a complex karyotype, or abnormalities in their chromosomes, had an even worse outcome, with only 10.9% surviving at one year.
Another study published in the journal Blood examined the treatment, risk factors, and outcome of adults with relapsed AML after reduced-intensity conditioning for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The study found that lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory drug, triggered acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemia and a specific chromosomal abnormality, del(5q). The study, known as the LENAMAINT trial, concluded that lenalidomide maintenance after the transplantation was not feasible in these patients.
These findings shed light on the challenges faced by AML patients who relapse after receiving HCT and highlight the need for improved treatment options to improve long-term survival rates. The studies also underscore the importance of identifying risk factors and considering individual patient characteristics when determining the most appropriate treatment strategies for relapsed AML. Further research is needed to develop novel approaches that can improve outcomes for this patient population.
