Understanding the Timing of Treatment in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

A recent study examined how the time between an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosis and the start of treatment affects patient outcomes. The research focused on 488 adults in the United States who began treatment with a combination of hypomethylating agents (HMAs) and venetoclax, a common therapy for AML.

Key Findings

• Longer Time to Treatment (TDT): The study found that patients who had a longer period between diagnosis and the start of treatment, experienced better overall survival rates. This suggests that taking additional time for thorough disease assessment and treatment planning may be beneficial.
• Comprehensive evaluation: Delaying treatment allowed healthcare providers to conduct a complete appraisal of the disease's biology, leading to more personalized and effective treatment strategies.
• Patient wellbeing: The findings indicate that improving a patient's general health and performance status before beginning therapy could enhance treatment outcomes.

Implications for AML Patients and Caregivers

These results, shared at the ASH 2024 Conference, suggest that immediately starting treatment after an AML diagnosis may not always be necessary. Allowing time for comprehensive evaluations and personalized treatment planning can lead to better survival outcomes.

“A lot of times, [when] patients first get diagnosed, they may have an infection, they may need transfusions… to see a physical therapist… a nutritionist…we want to focus on optimizing patient’s care outside of the fact that they have newly diagnosed AML,” shares Samuel Yates, MD, MS, the primary investigator on the study. 

Patients and caregivers should feel empowered to discuss the timing of treatment initiation with their healthcare team to ensure the best possible approach is taken.

Watching the following interview can provide further insights into the study's findings and their implications for AML treatment:

For further learning on this topic, check out the following webinar on AML Treatment with Dr. James Dugan. 

View the Webinar

Source: 

• Impact of Time from Diagnosis to Treatment on Outcomes of Adults with AML Treated with HMA and Venetoclax: A US-Based, Multi-Center, Real-World, Retrospective Analysis from the Consortium on Myeloid Malignancies and Neoplastic Diseases (COMMAND)