Division of Geriatric Medicine

Department of Medicine

Diego Adrianzen Herrera, M.D., assistant professor of medicine

(FEBRUARY 17, 2023) Diego Adrianzen Herrera, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, commented to Medscape on a study of postremission therapy in patients with intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that was published online in JAMA Oncology.

While the study’s authors concluded that “the results of this randomized clinical trial indicate that the probability of survival after [allogeneic] HCT is not superior to that of conventional consolidation chemotherapy” among patients 60 years or younger with intermediate-risk AML, Herrera (who was not involved in the study) noted that the findings do not reflect some key updated strategies currently used in clinical practice.

“A charitable interpretation of the results is that a clear, large survival benefit of transplant in first complete remission is not apparent, which in turn can inform decision-making in certain circumstances for patients meeting the trial criteria, [including] younger patients with a readily available donor,” Herrera told Medscape Medical News. “However, risk stratification strategies currently used were not followed,” he said. “Unfortunately, these issues make the clinical significance of these results limited,” he concluded.

In addition, Herrera explained that because HCT involves significant disruptions to daily life and extensive follow-up and monitoring, decisions to use the strategy are not taken lightly by clinicians or patients.