Response and survival in acute myeloid leukemia patients not candidates to transplantation treated with azacitidine versus palliative treatment: a retrospective study.
Acute myeloid leukemia has a high mortality if untreated. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the only curative treatment so far. Patients who are not eligible to receive a transplant can be treated with hypomethylating agents that have shown to improve disease-free and overall survival. Retrospective description of the clinical characteristics of patients suffering from advanced myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia that were treated with a hypomethylating agent as well as its adverse effects and response to treatment. This report shows our experience in 38 patients with acute myeloid leukemia treated with azacitidine or palliative treatment. Azacitidine was able to prolong survival in 80% of patients with a high incidence of adverse effects and negative impact on quality of life. Most of the patients treated with palliative intent died in the first month after diagnosis. Azacitidine can prolong survival but with significant adverse effects. Untreated patients had a high early mortality.