Investigation of Outcomes Using Immunophenotiping of Elderly Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia from Rio Grande Do Norte State, Brazil

BACKGROUND: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is the most frequent leukemia in older adults (over 60 years of age) with more than 50% of the cases accounting for 15 to 20% of childhood leukemia and 80% of adult leukemias, with poor prognosis, especially in elderly patients. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), another spectrum of acute clonal cancers that also involve mainly older age groups are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, peripheral cytopenia, chromosomal abnormalities and a variable predilection for progression to AML. Elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are part of a biological and clinically distinct group with a decreased response to chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the results of immunophenotypic elderly patients with AML treated at Hemonorte between 2006 and 2012, to identify prognostic factors. RESULTS: Data analysis showed that 56 patients had newly diagnosed AML (70%), 6 recurrent disease (7.5%), 15 transformed MDS (18.7%) and 3 refractory AML (3.7%). In relation to clinical aspects, there was a predominance of splenomegaly (91.2%), followed by hepatomegaly (76.2%). Laboratory findings showed a predominance of hyperleukocytosis (91.3%), thrombocytopenia (85%) and anemia (86.2%). Most cases were classified as FAB M1 (36.6%), M2 (17.5%) and M4 (23.7%). Our data analysis was statistically significant (p <0.05) and showed a correlation with CD7 (25%), PgP (45%), p53 (30%) and Bcl-2 (30%) with increasing disease status, likely contributing to a worse prognosis in this group of patients.CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the importance of clinical and laboratory investigations of these patients in order to obtain further information on these cancers.