Outcome and late effects among acute myeloid leukemia survivors: a nationwide population-based study

Understanding of pathogenesis and treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is growing. However, studies regarding the outcomes and late effects among AML survivors are relatively limited.

This nationwide population-based study used medical records from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 3356 AML patients diagnosed from 2000 to 2008 were analyzed. The physiological and psychological morbidities in AML survivors were compared to those identified from a normal population. This study also compared late effects among AML survivors treated by intensive chemotherapy alone and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

The incidence of AML in Taiwan has increased from 1.07 per 100,000 persons in 2000 to 2.17 per 100,000 persons in 2008 (p < 0.0001). With the median overall survival (OS) time of 0.98 years, 25.0 % of AML patients in this study cohort received best supportive care alone. Compared to the normal population, AML survivors had higher rates of hypertension (hazard ratio [HR] 1.69; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.18-2.42; p < 0.01), cardiovascular disease (HR 2.53; 95 % CI 1.39-4.61; p < 0.01), diabetes (HR 2.27; 95 % CI 1.48-3.48; p < 0.001), and psychological disorders (HR 1.45; 95 % CI 1.04-2.04; p < 0.05). Although patients undergoing allo-HSCT had a better OS than did patients treated with intensive chemotherapy alone (median not reached vs. 1.53 years; p < 0.0001), diabetes was found more often among allo-HSCT recipients than among patients receiving intensive chemotherapy only (HR 2.93; 95 % CI 1.21-7.08; p < 0.05).

Regular physical and psychological surveillance of AML survivors is needed especially for those receiving allo-HSCT.