According to EurekAlert, the fatality rate for acute promyelocytic leukemia has decreased significantly due to a more straightforward treatment plan and the input and support of a small but devoted team of academic disease specialists (APL).
The primary objective was to reduce mortality during induction (days 2-35) by half, from an estimated 30% to 15% or less. EA9131 was successful since it achieved its primary target of a 3.5% mortality rate.
The study’s primary researcher, Dr. Anand P. Jillella, presented the unique collaborative care paradigm earlier today at the 64th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in New Orleans.
“A systematic strategy with professional assistance reduces early APL mortality and enhances overall survival,” says Dr. Jillella, a medical oncologist and APL expert at Augusta University’s Georgia Cancer Center and Medical College of Georgia. Most oncologists today do not have access to care guidelines or institutional mechanisms for management suggestions targeted at improving patient outcomes.
APL is a kind of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that accounts for only around 3,000 new cases in the United States annually. This therapy is separate from those used to treat other AML. As a result, many medical practitioners lack the proper information to treat this ailment.
Individuals with APL risk potentially fatal blood clotting or bleeding problems if they are not recognized and treated as soon as feasible. Arsenic trioxide and non-chemotherapy medications known as differentiation agents, such as all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), have established themselves as gold standards for treating APL during the previous decade.
Even though therapies like these offer a lot of potential, APL still has a significant early-stage mortality rate (up to 30%).
“The most recent treatments are on the verge of treating Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), one of the worst types of leukemia in the past; when this occurs, sufferers will be able to resume their everyday lives.
However, unlike traditional chemotherapy, these drugs have significant and perhaps fatal adverse effects. Because most APL patients die during the first month of therapy, surviving beyond that time may be seen as a win, “according to Dr. Jillella.
During the induction period, unexpected fatalities are usually caused by hemorrhage, infection, or differentiation syndrome (DSS). When there are problems with the prescribed therapy, DSS develops. A greater mortality risk is also associated with complicated APL, old (over 60), and comorbid diseases (especially obesity).
The EA9131 collaborative care model connects patients with disease experts, allowing them to get guidance on how to customize conventional therapies to their requirements and circumstances. The trial included 202 patients through the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program, with 62 enrolling at six central university institutions and 140 at 37 community hospitals (NCORP).
Patients of all ages and capacities were urged to participate. However, as Dr. Jillella pointed out, the specific population of APL patients is elderly and has concomitant problems; hence, clinical trials for APL prefer to include younger people who do not have comorbid concerns.
However, “many patients arrive at institutions where the doctors are unfamiliar with the complexities of regulating APL, and they might benefit from the direction of someone with greater skill,” according to one specialist.
Seven persons died throughout the induction period, accounting for 3.5% of all deaths; four of these deaths happened at the lead facilities, and three occurred in community settings; all seven deaths were caused by differentiation syndrome. Six of the seven people that died were seniors (69-91 years).
After a year, there was no difference in survival rates between academic and community clinics (94.5% overall).
“Dr. Jillella has proven that by offering direction, we can enhance the treatment and reduce early deaths in APL patients,” said Selina M. Luger, MD, chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Leukemia Committee and an APL specialist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center, in response to the study.
