The following is a summary of “Microtransplantation improved outcomes in elderly patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia: clinical efficacy and mechanisms analysis,” published in the September 2024 issue of Hematology by Jin et al.
Microtransplantation (MST) has shown promise in improving outcomes for older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) compared to just using chemotherapy.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study exploring MST’s clinical effectiveness and the underlying mechanisms at play.
They analyzed 40 patients over 60 with newly diagnosed low- and medium-risk AML from January 2012 to December 2022. Patients were split into two groups: the MST group receiving chemotherapy and donor peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) injections (n=20), and the control group receiving chemotherapy alone (n=20). The Natural Killer (NK) cell changes and IFN- γ levels were measured using flow cytometry and commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Complete remission (CR), 2-year overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated post-therapy.
The results showed that after induction chemotherapy, the 20 patients in the MST group achieved a CR rate of 60%. The 2-year OS was 61.8%, and the 2-year DFS was 51.6%. These results highlight the effectiveness of MST in this patient population.
Investigators concluded that MST leads to quicker hematological recovery and higher CR rates, improving OS and DFS in elderly patients with AML. They found a significant link between NK cells and IFN-γ, suggesting these are critical mechanisms in MST’s effectiveness.
Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16078454.2024.2407096#abstract
