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Intensification of treatment for AML resulted in a substantial improvement in longterm prognosis. As intensive therapy might be associated with high morbidity and most patients with AML eventually relapse, quality of life (QL) of patients has become an important parameter to be assessed. This study was designed to evaluate QL in patients with AML treated according to the protocol of the German AML-Cooperative Group (Munster). QL has been analyzed throughout therapy at 12 different time points by using the EORTC-QLQ C 30 questionnaire. Patients’ coping strategies were assessed by the Freiburg Questionnaire on Coping with Illness, patients’ individual perception of their disease and therapy by a semi-structured interview. 101 patients were enrolled in the protocol. For those patients having completed the courses of inpatient treatment (n=37), Physical functioning (p

Intensification of treatment for AML resulted in a substantial improvement in longterm prognosis (Buchner 1997). As intensive therapy might be associated with high morbidity and most patients with AML eventually relapse, quality of life (QL) of patients has become an important parameter to be assessed. This study was designed to evaluate QL in patients with AML treated according to the protocol of the German AML-Cooperative Group.

In oncology, quality of life (QL) has become an essential criterion for evaluating the effects of therapy in clinical trials. So far, in adult patients suffering from acute leukemia assessment of QL has not been considered possible due to poor prognosis and the acute course of the disease. Advances in chemotheraphy significantly prolong survival of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and may cure a significant percentage (25%-30%) of patients. Therefore, the assessment of QL of patients undergoing chemotherapy is of growing interest. This study was designed to evaluate QL in patients with AML treated according to the protocol of the German AML Cooperative Group (Munster).