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Age and the biology of acute myeloid leukemia

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Conclusion

Both normal and leukemic myeloid clones are apparently characterized in the elderly by the same two biological features: (a) Increased cell proliferation [2, 13, 15] and (b) decreased cell differentiation [4, 5, 7, 12], which consequently have serious therapeutic implications for elderly AML patients. Low-dose cytarabine therapy has several advantages over conventional intensive chemotherapy in elderly AML patients, including:

  1. 1.

    The early death rate is significantly lower [18].

  2. 2.

    Remission induction rates (complete + long lasting partial remissions) [18] are comparable.

  3. 3.

    Survival duration rates [18] are comparable.

  4. 4.

    Low-dose cytarabine not only decreases the cell proliferation of normal and leukemic myeloid clones as conventional intensive chemotherapy does; it also increases the cell differentiation of both normal [3] and leukemic [1, 11, 14, 17] myeloid clones.

  5. 5.

    Low-dose cytarabine therapy could be effective after the failure of conventional intensive chemotherapy in AML patients [16].

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  1. Leukemia Research, Freie Universität Berlin, Kelchstrasse 31, W-1000, Berlin 41, Federal Republic of Germany

    H. T. Hassan, V. Heinemann & U. Jehn

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  1. H. T. Hassan
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  2. V. Heinemann
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  3. U. Jehn
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Hassan, H.T., Heinemann, V. & Jehn, U. Age and the biology of acute myeloid leukemia. Ann Hematol 64, 157–159 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01697405

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