Minimally differentiated acute myeloid leukemia (FAB AML-M0): Prognostic factors and treatment effects on survival-A retrospective study of 42 adult cases

Data from 42 adult patients with newly diagnosed minimally differentiated (M0) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were reported. Clinical and biological characteristics at diagnosis were heterogenous. All patients received induction chemotherapy combining an anthracycline with cytarabine. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 22 cases (52%). Most patients received continuation chemotherapy. Median disease-free survival (DFS) was 13.6 months with a 2-year survival rate of 28%. As post-remission therapy, 7 patients could be allografted and showed an encouraging outcome. Overall, 14 patients have relapsed (63%) after a median time of 10.2 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 20.5 months with a 5-year survival rate of 18%. This retrospective analysis points to a somewhat heterogenous group of AML in terms of biological features and outcome, and warrants a larger multicenter study with study in molecular biology to clarify treatment effects further.