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Review
. 2018 Feb;59(2):274-287.
doi: 10.1080/10428194.2017.1330956. Epub 2017 Jun 2.

Acute myeloid leukemia in the elderly: therapeutic options and choice

Jonathan A Webster  1 , Keith W Pratz  1
Affiliations
Review

Acute myeloid leukemia in the elderly: therapeutic options and choice

Jonathan A Webster et al. Leuk Lymphoma. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapies are rapidly evolving with novel targeted therapies showing high-level responses in a notoriously difficult to treat group of patients - the elderly and unfit. This review will examine the outcomes of older AML patients (>60 years old) with conventional induction strategies, and published literature on risks of pursuit of induction. Low-intensity combination therapy response rates appear to be approaching that of induction regimens, and with lower toxicity, low-intensity therapy likely represents the future standard approach in this age group. Lastly, allogeneic transplant appears to have a role in increasing durable remissions regardless of age and should be considered in patients with limited comorbidities.

Keywords: AML; elderly; therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflict of interest: Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2017.1330956.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of AML incidence and deaths by age in the USA 2010–2014. Adapted from SEER database [2].
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Approach to elderly AML.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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