De novo acute myeloid leukemia in adults younger than 60 years of age: socioeconomic aspects and treatment results in a Brazilian university center

Abstract

We retrospectively studied the outcomes of adults with de novo acute myeloid leukemia treated in a reference center in Brazil and analyzed the association with the human development index (HDI) of the United Nations used as a socioeconomic factor. Among 123 patients, 46 (37%) died during induction, 65 (53%) reached complete remission and 45 (37%) received high-dose cytarabine (Hidac) consolidation. The 5-year overall survival and leukemia-free survival (LFS) were 17 and 26%, respectively, for all patients and 36 and 30%, respectively, for those receiving Hidac. In multivariate analysis, an HDI <0.660 was associated with a lower probability to receive Hidac (P = 0.001), a trend for higher mortality in remission induction (P = 0.062) and a decreased LFS (P < 0.0001). However, it was not associated with outcomes for patients receiving Hidac. In conclusion, survival for patients who received Hidac consolidation is satisfactory; however, socioeconomic factors may have selected patients to receive intensive Hidac consolidation.