Survival for older patients with acute myeloid leukemia: a population-based study

Acute myeloid leukemia is the second most common leukemia among United States adults with a median age of 69 years. We investigated recent clinical practices related to treatments and disease outcomes in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia in the United States. In this retrospective cohort study, we used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program data from 2000 through 2007 linked to Medicare enrollment and utilization data in the United States. Among 5,480 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (median age 78 years, range 65-93), 38.6% received leukemia therapy within three months of diagnosis (treated group). Practice changed with 16.3% of treated patients receiving hypomethylating agents after 2004 when those agents became available. Median survival was two months in the untreated group versus six months in the treated group (P