Dynamic assessment of measurable residual disease in favorable-risk acute myeloid leukemia in first remission, treatment, and outcomes

Abstract

We aimed to investigate outcomes of different post-remission treatment (PRT) choices based on dynamic measurable residual disease (MRD) by multiparameter flow cytometry in favorable-risk AML (FR-AML). Four hundred and three younger patients with FR-AML in first complete remission (CR1) were enrolled in this registry-based cohort study, including 173 who received chemotherapy (CMT), 92 autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT), and 138 allogeneic SCT (allo-SCT). The primary endpoint was the 5-year overall survival (OS). Subgroup analyses were performed based on dynamic MRD after the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd courses of chemotherapy. In subgroups of patients with negative MRD after 1 or 2 course of chemotherapy, comparable OS was observed among the CMT, auto-SCT, and allo-SCT groups (p = 0.340; p = 0.627, respectively). But CMT and auto-SCT had better graft-versus-host-disease-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) than allo-SCT in both subgroups. For patients with negative MRD after three courses of chemotherapy, allo-SCT had better disease-free-survival than CMT (p = 0.009). However, OS was comparable among the three groups (p = 0.656). For patients with persistently positive MRD after 3 courses of chemotherapy or recurrent MRD, allo-SCT had better OS than CMT and auto-SCT (p = 0.011; p = 0.029, respectively). Dynamic MRD might improve therapy stratification and optimize PRT selection for FR-AML in CR1.