Treatment of acute erythroleukemia with Azacitidine: A case series

Publication date: 2013 Source:Leukemia Research Reports, Volume 2, Issue 2 Author(s): Francesca Pierdomenico , Antonio Almeida Acute erythroleukemia (AEL) is a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) often associated with a poor prognosis. It is more frequent in elderly patients, limiting the use aggressive therapies. Azacitidine is a hypomethylating agent with recognized efficacy in high risk myelodysplasia and AML in the elderly. Here we report 5 cases of AEL treated with Azacitidine. The cohort included 4 men and 1 woman, median age 70. One patient had been refractory to intensive chemotherapy, the others received Azacitidine as first line. Treatment was well tolerated. Four patients achieved transfusion independence. Two patients achieved complete remission and 1 achieved partial remission. After a median follow up time of 20 months, the median survival of the cohort was 20 months. Three patients died of disease progression. These results confirm the therapeutic value of Azacitidine in AEL.
Source: Leukemia Research Reports - Category: Hematology Source Type: research