Secondary Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia: a Review of Our Evolving Understanding of a Complex Disease Process

Secondary AML (s-AML) encompasses AML evolving from myelodysplasia (AML-MDS) and treatment-related AML (t-AML) after exposure to chemotherapy, radiation, or environmental toxins. S-AML has traditionally been considered a devastating disease, affecting a vulnerable population of heavily pretreated, older adults. A limited understanding of disease pathogenesis/heterogeneity and lack of effective treatments have hampered overall improvements in patient outcomes. With the recent understanding that the secondary nature of sAML does not by itself incur a poor prognosis and incorporation of cytogenetics and molecular genetics into patient care and the advancement of treatment, including improved supportive care, novel chemotherapeutics agents, and nonmyeloablative conditioning regimens as part of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), modest gains in survival and quality of life are beginning to be seen among patients with s-AML.