Patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (s-AML) who received less intense treatment experienced lower earlier mortality and better overall survival than those on intensive regimens, according to a study involving 931 individuals.

Participants were between 60 and 75 years of age and newly diagnosed with s-AML. Investigators looked at outcomes by the type of treatment received. Among the results:

• Patients receiving hypomethylating agents or low-dose cytarabine combinations experienced average overall survival of nearly 7 months, vs 5.4 months for those who received intensive chemotherapy (IC).
• 4% of the IC group received transplantation, vs 10% of the those on lower intensity regimens.
• Patients receiving CPX-351 and those treated with lower intensity approaches experienced similar median survival.
• Lower overall survival rates were seen in patients who were 1) >70 years of age, 2) had an adverse karyotype, and 3) had a prior antecedent hematologic disorder.