Venetoclax is safe and efficacious in relapsed/refractory AML

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Oncology
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after intensive chemotherapy presents a significant clinical challenge.
• Limited effective treatment options exist for patients with advanced AML, particularly those who have relapsed after allogeneic transplant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of venetoclax in patients with relapsed/refractory AML.
• To assess treatment outcomes, including hematologic recovery and overall survival, in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective data collection from 11 Israeli centers between 2016-2019.
• Inclusion of 40 patients with relapsed/refractory AML treated with venetoclax, often in combination with hypomethylating agents or low-dose cytarabine.
• Analysis of treatment response, hematologic recovery, and overall survival (OS).

Main Results:

• Of 29 patients surviving over two cycles, 76% achieved neutrophil recovery and 59% recovered platelet counts.
• Complete remission/complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CR/CRi) was observed in 52% of patients surviving over two cycles.
• Median overall survival was 5.5 months for all patients and 6.5 months for those surviving over two cycles.

Conclusions:

• Venetoclax demonstrates a favorable safety profile in patients with advanced relapsed/refractory AML.
• The drug shows significant activity, leading to hematologic recovery and remission in a substantial proportion of patients.
• Venetoclax represents a viable and effective therapeutic option for heavily pretreated AML patients.