Incorporation of comorbidity index in treatment decisions of elderly AML patients can lead to better disease management – A single center experience

Introduction: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a form of cancer originating from precursor cells within the bone marrow. Elderly patients with acute leukemia require a personalized approach, considering age, performance status, and comorbidities, to determine suitability for intensive treatment. Methods: We studied the results of intense chemotherapy in 46 healthy elderly fit with AML at a cancer center in Romania from January 2017 to December 2023. Results: The study involved a cohort of 46 patients, including 22 men and 24 women. The research indicated that 89.1% of the patients were diagnosed with de novo acute leukemia. Most patients had an ECOG score of 0-1, with one patient scoring ≥2. HCT-CI >4 was found in 21 patients (45.7%), while CCI>4 was present in 38 patients (82.6%). After the induction phase, 25 patients (54.3%) achieved complete remission (CR); the relapse rate was 56.8%. Upon completion of the study, 9 individuals (19.6%) were still alive. The overall survival duration ranged from 0 to 33 months, with a median survival time of 8 months (CI 5.0 – 11.0). Conclusion: When considering treatment options for elderly patients, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance status, as well as comorbidity indices such as the Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation-Specific Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), have shown promising results in the literature, indicating their relevance in the decision-making process.