According to results presented at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), patients 60 years of age and over diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) do not benefit from increased doses of the commonly used chemotherapy agents daunorubicin (Cerubidine?) or cytarabine (Cytosar-U?); as well, increasing the number of treatment courses of subsequent chemotherapy does not provide benefit.
The researchers concluded that increasing doses of chemotherapy do not improve outcomes among elderly patients diagnosed with AML. These results underscore the fact that further research is urgently needed for this patient population. Patients over the age of 60 years who are diagnosed with AML may wish to speak with their physician regarding their individual risks and benefits of participating in a clinical trial evaluating novel treatment approaches.