The impact of acute myeloid leukemia and its treatment on quality of life and functional status in older adults

Although intensive chemotherapy (IC) may modestly improve survival compared to supportive care in older people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), treatment may worsen quality of life (QOL) and functional status. We assessed QOL and functional status at baseline, 1 month, 4 months, and 6 months in 65 consecutive, English-speaking, patients age 60 or older with newly diagnosed AML. At baseline, functional status was high but QOL was negatively affected in global health and most QOL domains. Over time, QOL remained stable or improved in most patients and was generally similar between IC and non-IC groups. Basic activities of daily living (ADL) scores did not change over time, whereas instrumental ADL scores declined slightly regardless of treatment. Receiving IC does not appear to lead to worse QOL or functional status than more palliative approaches. This information may aid treatment discussions in older patients with AML.