Results of the combination of BCL2 inhibitors with hypomethylation agent in treating newly diagnosed elderly acute myeloid leukemia at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion

Bach Quoc Khanh, Phan Thi Thuy Trang

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Abstract

The combination of hypomethylating agents and venetoclax has demonstrated substantial improvements in treatment responses in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia. However, widespread adoption of this regimen for the first-line treatment of elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients in Vietnam had not been achieved. We conducted a prospective case series of 30 patients over 60 years old, newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, from 2023 to 2025. The CR/CRi rate of all patients was 66.6%; the Azacitidine group achieved 61.1%, and the Decitabine group attained 75%. The median follow-up time was 17 months, and the 12-month event-free survival rate averaged 53.3%. The 12-month event-free survival rate of the Azacytidine and Decitabine groups was 66.7% and 33.3% respectively. All patients experienced cytopenias in at least one cell line. These results emphasized the effectiveness of hypomethylating agents and venetoclax combination . It was well tolerated by elderly patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia and multiple comorbidities.

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References

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