Abstract:
Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in older patients (≥75 years) and compare the efficacy and survival outcomes of venetoclax combined with azacitidine (VA regimen) and traditional treatment regimens in older patients with newly diagnosed AML.
Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 42 older patients with newly diagnosed AML who were treated in Peking University International Hospital, between May 2016 and April 2025. Among them, 15 patients received the VA regimen, and 19 received traditional regimens. The complete remission (CR)/complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi) rate, leukemia-free survival (LFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared between the two groups.
Results The median patient age was 80 years (range, 77.0‒82.5). Thirty-seven patients (88.1%) had chronic comorbidities, 12 (28.6%) had a history of antecedent hematologic disorders, and eight (19.9%) had other malignancies. Among the 34 evaluable patients, 19 (55.9%) achieved CR/CRi, one (2.9%) achieved partial remission (PR), and 14 (41.2%) showed no response. The CR/CRi rate was 66.7% (10/15) in the VA group versus 47.4% (9/19) in the traditional group (χ2=4.72, P=0.03). With a median follow-up of 48 months (range, 1–96 months), the median OS was 12 months (95% confidence interval CI:7.416–16.584) for the entire cohort. The VA group had a significantly longer median OS (27 months; 95%CI: 9.722–44.278) than the traditional group (8 months; 95%CI: 2.622–13.378) (P=0.045). Regarding safety, 85.3% of patients experienced infectious complications; no early deaths occurred in the VA group, whereas three occurred in the traditional group.
Conclusions In older patients with newly diagnosed AML, the VA regimen can markedly prolong OS with manageable safety compared with traditional treatment regimens, supporting its use as a first-line treatment option.