Improving long-term outcomes with intensive induction chemotherapy for patients with AML

Intensive chemotherapy in combination with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and supportive care can induce long-term remissions in around 50% of acute myeloid leukemia patients eligible for intensive treatment. Several treatment optimization trials helped to refine schedule and dosing of the historic “7 + 3” combination. Together with the addition of novel agents, increased efficacy and tolerability led to improved long-term outcomes. Unsatisfactory outcomes in fit elderly patients and unfavorable genetic subgroups have raised the question of whether less-intensive venetoclax-based approaches may be beneficial as an alternative. Although tempting and worth exploring, this issue will remain controversial until the results of randomized comparisons appear. To date, intensive chemotherapy remains the only evident curative treatment option for long-term disease eradication in a fixed treatment time. With the advent of more novel agents and advances in minimal residual disease (MRD) detection and maintenance approaches, the face of intensive treatment could change in many ways. Several are being explored in clinical trials, such as (1) combinations of more than 1 novel agent with the intensive backbone, (2) head-to-head comparisons of novel agents, (3) replacement or dose reduction of cytotoxic components such as anthracyclines, and (4) MRD-guided escalation and de-escalation strategies. The combination of intensive treatment with individualized tailored innovative strategies will most certainly reduce treatment-related toxicities and increase the chances for long-term remission in the future.