The value of clearance of peripheral blood blasts (PBB) as a predictor of outcomes in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is controversial. To investigate the prognostic significance of the time to clearance of PBB after induction in Chinese patients with AML, a retrospective analysis of 146 patients with newly diagnosed AML at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital was performed. Patients were categorized into early blast clearance (EBC; ≤5 days) and delayed blast clearance (DBC; >5 days) groups based on a receiver operating characteristic analysis. Complete remission (CR) after induction chemotherapy was related to the time to clearance of PBB (p < 0.001). Relapse-free survival (RFS; p = 0.003) and overall survival (p < 0.001) were longer in the EBC group. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the time to clearance of PBB and cytogenetic risk independently predicted CR and RFS. Early clearance of PBB after induction chemotherapy can be a significant predictor of survival outcomes in AML patients.
© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.