Feasibility of azacitidine added to standard chemotherapy in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia - a randomised SAL pilot study

  • INTRODUCTION: Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) experience short survival despite intensive chemotherapy. Azacitidine has promising activity in patients with low proliferating AML. The aim of this dose-finding part of this trial was to evaluate feasibility and safety of azacitidine combined with a cytarabine- and daunorubicin-based chemotherapy in older patients with AML. TRIAL DESIGN: Prospective, randomised, open, phase II trial with parallel group design and fixed sample size. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients aged 61 years or older, with untreated acute myeloid leukemia with a leukocyte count of <20,000/µl at the time of study entry and adequate organ function were eligible. Patients were randomised to receive azacitidine either 37.5 (dose level 1) or 75 mg/sqm (dose level 2) for five days before each cycle of induction (7+3 cytarabine plus daunorubicine) and consolidation (intermediate-dose cytarabine) therapy. Dose-limiting toxicity was the primary endpoint. RESULTS: Six patients each were randomised into each dose level and evaluable for analysis. No dose-limiting toxicity occurred in either dose level. Nine serious adverse events occurred in five patients (three in the 37.5 mg, two in the 75 mg arm) with two fatal outcomes. Two patients at the 37.5 mg/sqm dose level and four patients at the 75 mg/sqm level achieved a complete remission after induction therapy. Median overall survival was 266 days and median event-free survival 215 days after a median follow up of 616 days. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of azacitidine 75 mg/sqm with standard induction therapy is feasible in older patients with AML and was selected as an investigational arm in the randomised controlled part of this phase-II study, which is currently halted due to an increased cardiac toxicity observed in the experimental arm.

Download full text files

Export metadata

Additional Services

Share in Twitter Search Google Scholar
Metadaten
Author:Utz Krug, Anja Koschmieder, Daniela Schwammbach, Joachim Gerss, Nicola Tidow, Björn SteffenORCiD, Gesine BugORCiDGND, Christian Hubertus BrandtsORCiDGND, Markus Schaich, Christoph Röllig, Christian Thiede, Richard Noppeney, Matthias StelljesORCiDGND, Thomas Büchner, Steffen KoschmiederORCiDGND, Ulrich DührsenORCiDGND, Hubert ServeORCiDGND, Gerhard EhningerGND, Wolfgang E. BerdelORCiDGND, Carsten Müller-TidowORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-283620
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0052695
ISSN:1932-6203
Pubmed Id:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23300745
Parent Title (English):PLoS One
Publisher:PLoS
Place of publication:Lawrence, Kan.
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2013/01/21
Date of first Publication:2012/12/31
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2013/01/21
Volume:7
Issue:(12): e52695
Page Number:8
Note:
Copyright: © 2012 Krug et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
HeBIS-PPN:321848977
Institutes:Medizin / Medizin
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 3.0