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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with initial hyperleukocytosis is associated with high early mortality and a poor prognosis. The aims of this study were to delineate the underlying molecular landscape in the largest cytogenetic risk group, cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML), and to assess the prognostic relevance of recurrent mutations in the context of hyperleukocytosis and clinical risk factors.The authors performed a targeted sequencing of 49 recurrently mutated genes in 56 patients with newly diagnosed CN-AML and initial hyperleukocytosis of ≥100 G/L treated in the AMLCG99 study. The median number of mutated genes per patient was 5. The most common mutations occurred in FLT3 (73%), NPM1 (75%), and TET2 (45%).The predominant pathways affected by mutations were signaling (84% of patients), epigenetic modifiers (75% of patients), and nuclear transport (NPM1; 75%) of patients. AML with hyperleukocytosis was enriched for molecular subtypes that negatively affected the prognosis, including a high percentage of patients presenting with co-occurring mutations in signaling and epigenetic modifiers such as FLT3 internal tandem duplications and TET2 mutations.Despite these unique molecular features, clinical risk factors, including high white blood count, hemoglobin level, and lactate dehydrogenase level at baseline, remained the predictors for overall survival and relapse-free survival in hyperleukocytotic CN-AML.

Risk assessment in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) using pretreatment characteristics may be improved by incorporating parameters of early response to therapy. In the 1992 trial of the German AML Cooperative Group (AMLCG), the amount of residual leukemic blasts in bone marrow was assessed one week after the first induction course (day 16 blasts). A total of 449 patients 16 to 76 years of age (median, 53 years) with de novo AML entered the trial and were evaluable. Treatment included TAD/HAM (thioguanine, cytosine arabinoside, and daunorubicin/high-dose cytosine arabinoside and mitoxantrone) double induction, TAD consolidation, and randomly either maintenance therapy or S-HAM consolidation. Cytogenetics were favorable, intermediate, unfavorable and not available in 10.0%, 48.3%, 13.1%, and 28.5%, respectively. Day 16 blasts ranged from 0% to 100% (median, 5%, mean ± SD, 18.6 ± 28.5%). Complete remission (CR) rate was 72.6%, 17.6% had persistent leukemia (PL), and 9.8% succumbed to hypoplastic death. Median overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), and relapse-free survival (RFS) were 18, 9, and 15 months with 28.4%, 21.6%, and 30.1% at 5 years, respectively. As a continuous variable, day 16 blasts were related to CR rate (P

Background The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term survival of AML patients with CEBPA mutations. Patients and methods We investigated 88 AML patients with a median age of 61 years and (1) cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML), (2) monoallelic (moCEBPA) or biallelic (biCEBPA) CEBPA mutation, and (3) intensive induction treatment. 60/88 patients have been described previously with a shorter follow-up. Results Median follow-up time was 9.8 years (95% CI: 9.4-10.1 years) compared to 3.2 and 5.2 years in our former analyses. Patients with biCEBPA mutations survived significantly longer compared to those with moCEBPA (median overall survival (OS) 9.6 years vs. 1.7 years, p = 0.008). Patients ≤ 60 years and biCEBPA mutations showed a favorable prognosis with a 10-year OS rate of 81%. Both, bi- and moCEBPA-mutated groups had a low early death (d60) rate of 7% and 9%, respectively. Complete remission (CR) rates for biCEBPA- and moCEBPA-mutated patients were 82% vs. 70% (p = 0.17). biCEBPA-mutated patients showed a longer relapse free survival (RFS) (median RFS 9.4 years vs. 1.5 years, p = 0.021) and a lower cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) compared to moCEBPA-mutated patients. These differences in OS and RFS were confirmed after adjustment for known clinical and molecular prognostic factors. Conclusions In this long-term observation we confirmed the favorable prognostic outcome of patients with biCEBPA mutations compared to moCEBPA-mutated CN-AML. The high probability of OS (81%) in younger patients is helpful to guide intensity of postremission therapy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13045-014-0055-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Despite recent advances, treatment of elderly patients with AML remains a challenge because of adverse disease biology, comorbidities and therapy related toxicities. The balance between effectivity and toxicity of treatment strategies play a key role. Since comparative studies are lacking, a prospective randomized trial was designed among German AML study groups with different treatment strategies to compare outcome. Patients ≥60 years with all AML subtypes except M3 were randomized up-front to a common standard arm (CSA) (10%) and to study specific arms (90%) of the AMLCG or the OSHO. The CSA consisted of one or two inductions of araC 100 mg/m2/d continuous IV (CI) d 1-7 d and daunorubicin (dauno) 60 mg/m2/d IV d 3, 4, 5 and two courses of araC 1 g/m2/d BID IV d 1, 3 and 5 as consolidation (Mayer RJ et al, NEJM 1994). The AMLCG study arm randomized TAD (araC 100 mg/m2/d CI d1-2 followed by BID d 3-8, dauno 60 mg/m2/d IV d 3-5 and 6-thioguanine 100 mg/m2/d po BID d 3-9) and HAM [araC 1 mg/m2/d IV BID d 1-3 and mitoxantrone (mito) 10 mg/m2/d IV d 3-5] versus two courses of HAM with any 2nd course only given if blasts persisted ± G-CSF. Two courses of TAD were given as consolidation followed by maintenance chemotherapy over three years. The OSHO study arm included araC 1 g/m²/d BID IV d 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 and mito 10 mg/m2/d IV d 1 - 3 for one or two induction courses and ara-C 500 mg/m² BID 1h IV d 1 + 3 + 5 in combination with mito10 mg/m2/d IV d 1 + 2 as consolidation. Pegfilgrastim 6 mg s.c. was applied on day 10 of induction and on d 8 of consolidation. The study was approved by the IRB and registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01497002 and NCT00266136). Written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to randomization. Between April 1st, 2005 and May 26th, 2015 1286 patients were assigned randomly to the CSA (n=132) or to the study groups arm (n=1154). After excluding 139 patients (10.8%), 1147 patients were eligible for analysis, 1120 with follow-up for overall survival (OS) and 1079 for complete remission (CR) analysis. Baseline characteristics of all eligible patients showed median ages of 68 (60-82) years for the CSA and 69 (60-87) and 70 (60-85) years in the study arms A and B, respectively (p=0.05). Proportions of patients with secondary AML differed significantly between study arms (A: 42%, B: 30%, CSA: 36%; p=0.003). The CSA had less flt3 wildtype/npm1 wildtype patients (31%) vs. arm A (51% p=0.040) and arm B (58%, p=0.0455). No differences were observed with respect to cytogenetic risk groups, white blood cell counts, LDH, and npm1 mutant/ flt3-wildtype or mutant. The primary endpoint event free survival (EFS) did not differ between the CSA and study group strategies. Three-year EFS was 12.4% (95% CI: 6.7 - 19.9%) in the CSA, 15.6% (95% CI: 13.1 - 18.3%) in group A and 11.4% (95% CI, 7.4% to 16.4%) in group B (n.s.;Fig.1). With a median follow-up of 67 months, OS did not differ significantly between CSA and study group regimens. The 3-year survival probability was 22.3% (95% CI: 14.7-30.9%) in the CSA, 24.7% (95% CI: 21.6-27.9%) in group A and 22.4% (95% CI, 16.7% - 18.3%) in group B (Fig.2). CR status after 90 days of therapy was evaluated as secondary endpoint. The proportion of patients in CR in the CSA [51% (95% CI: 42-61%)] was comparable to the 50% (95% CI: 47-54%) and 48% (95% CI: 41-55%) of the study group arms (p=n.s.). Persistent leukemia was seen in 16% (95% CI: 10-24%) in the CSA vs 17% (95% CI: 14-19%) and 12% (95% CI: 8-17%) in groups A and B, respectively (both p= n.s.). A total of 226 patients died within 90 days of treatment, 24% (95% CI: 17-33%) in CSA, 19% in group A (95% CI: 16-22%) and 27% (95% CI: 21-33%) in group B; CSA vs A p=0.1859, CSA vs B p=0.5902). Death without AML was 3% in CSA, 2% in group A and 3% in group B, death with AML was 9% in CSA, 6% in group A and 5% in group B and death from indeterminate cause was 12% in CSA, 11% in group A and 20% in group B. Three-year relapse free survival (RFS) was 21.3% (95% CI: 12.2 - 31.0) in the CSA, 28.9% (95% CI: 24.9 -33.0%) in group A and 24.0% (95% CI: 16.8 - 31.9) in group B (both p=n.s.; Fig.3). In multivariate analysis independent variables for EFS and OS were age, type of disease, cytogenetic group and WBC count, but not the allocation to one of the treatment arms. Age and cytogenetic group were determinants for RFS. Conclusion A strictly prospective comparison of different treatment strategies in patients with AML did not show clinically relevant outcome differences when compared to a common standard arm. Figure 1. Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 3. Disclosures Niederwieser: Novartis Oncology Europe: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Speakers Bureau. Hoffmann:Novartis Oncology Europe: Research Funding. Al-Ali:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Hegenbart:Pfizer: Other: Travel grant; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel grant. Sayer:Riemser Pharma: Consultancy. Hochhaus:BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; ARIAD: Honoraria, Research Funding. Fischer:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Dreger:Novartis: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Gilead: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy; Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Hiddemann:Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech: Other: Grants; Roche: Other: Grants.

Purpose The majority of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who achieve complete remission (CR) relapse with conventional postremission chemotherapy. Allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (alloSCT) might improve survival at the expense of increased toxicity. It remains unknown for which patients alloSCT is preferable. Patients and Methods We compared the outcome of 185 matched pairs of a large multicenter clinical trial (AMLCG99). Patients younger than 60 years who underwent alloSCT in first remission (CR1) were matched to patients who received conventional postremission therapy. The main matching criteria were AML type, cytogenetic risk group, patient age, and time in first CR. Results In the overall pairwise compared AML population, the projected 7-year overall survival (OS) rate was 58% for the alloSCT and 46% for the conventional postremission treatment group (P = .037; log-rank test). Relapse-free survival (RFS) was 52% in the alloSCT group compared with 33% in the control group (P < .001). OS was significantly better for alloSCT in patient subgroups with nonfavorable chromosomal aberrations, patients older than 45 years, and patients with secondary AML or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. For the entire patient cohort, postremission therapy was an independent factor for OS (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.89 for alloSCT v conventional chemotherapy), among age, cytogenetics, and bone marrow blasts after the first induction cycle. Conclusion AlloSCT is the most potent postremission therapy for AML and is particularly active for patients 45 to 59 years of age and/or those with high-risk cytogenetics.

Management of patients with refractory and relapsed AML needs optimization. We performed a prospective study in these patients aiming at 1) the definition of the anti-leukemic efficacy of the S-HAI regimen; and 2) the evaluation of the prognostic impact of cytogenetic aberrations at relapse in the context of other prognostic parameters. Treatment consisted of AraC 1 g/sqm q 12 h days 1, 2, 8, and 9 and idarubicin 10 mg/sqm days 3, 4, 10, and 11. AraC was given at 3 g/sqm in patients under age 60 with refractory AML or relapse after CR1 6 months 13%/25%/62%; cytogenetics at relapse favorable/intermediate/unfavorable/not available 7%/44%/24%/25%; secondary AML 7%. Median duration of neutropenia 618 months 56%; p60 years (40% vs. 39%). EFS and OS were significantly related to duration of CR1 (p=0.0001 and p=0.0004) and CG at relapse (p=0.0002 and p=0.0009). Logistic regression analysis revealed CG at relapse (p=0.006) as well as duration of CR1 (p=0.004) being independently related to CR rate. Cox regression analysis revealed CG at relapse (p=0.001) and duration of CR1 (p=0.014) being independently related to EFS. CG at relapse was the only parameter independently related to OS (p=0.001). The inclusion of the therapy-dependent parameter, residual bone marrow blasts at day 18 (day 18 blasts), revealed day 18 blasts being independently related to CR rate, EFS, and OS. These data indicate that 1) the S-HAI regimen confers a significant anti-leukemic efficacy in patients with relapsed and refractory AML unless unfavorable CG are present; and 2) CG at relapse is the most important prognostic parameter in these patients and day 18 blasts may be used to early identify treatment failure and guide the decision about alternative treatment approaches.