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Acute Leukemias

Adult acute erythroleukemia: an analysis of 91 patients treated at a single institution

Leukemia volume 23, pages 2275–2280 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Acute erythroleukemia (AML-M6) is an uncommon subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML); it is considered to have a poor prognosis. From 1 January 1980 to 21 May 2008, 91 patients with newly diagnosed AML-M6 were seen at the University of Texas–M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (UT–MDACC). Forty-five patients (50%) had a history of myelodysplatic syndrome (MDS), compared with 41% in our control group (patients with other AML subtypes) (P=0.08). Poor-risk cytogenetics were more common in patients with AML-M6 (61% versus 38%, P=0.001). Complete remission rates were 62% for patients with AML-M6, comparing with 58% for the control group (P=0.35). Median disease free survival (DFS) for patients with AML-M6 was 32 weeks, versus 49 weeks for the control group (P=0.05). Median overall survival (OS) of patients with AML-M6 was 36 weeks, compared with 43 weeks for the control group (P=0.60). On multivariate analysis for DFS and OS, AML-M6 was not an independent risk factor. AML-M6 is commonly associated with a previous diagnosis of MDS and poor-risk karyotype. The diagnosis of AML-M6 does not impart by itself a worse prognosis, and treatment decisions on this disease should be guided by well known AML prognostic factors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Leukemia, University of Texas - M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    F P S Santos, S Faderl, G Garcia-Manero, C Koller, M Beran, S O'Brien, S Pierce, E J Freireich, G Borthakur, M Keating, J Cortes, H Kantarjian & F Ravandi

  2. Department of Biostatistics, University of Texas - M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    X Huang

  3. Department of Hematopathology, University of Texas - M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    C Bueso-Ramos

  4. Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Texas - M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    M de Lima

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Correspondence to F Ravandi.

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Santos, F., Faderl, S., Garcia-Manero, G. et al. Adult acute erythroleukemia: an analysis of 91 patients treated at a single institution. Leukemia 23, 2275–2280 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2009.181

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