A Controlled Study of Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in Elderly Patients after Treatment for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

More than 40 percent of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) are over 65 years old at the time of the diagnosis. 1 , 2 A high rate of treatment-related mortality keeps the rate of complete remission below 50 percent and the median survival between 9 and 12 months in these older patients. 3 – 6 Among patients over 65, the mortality rate during the aplastic phase that follows intensive chemotherapy is 30 to 40 percent. 4 – 8 Infections cause approximately two thirds of treatment-associated deaths. 9 – 11 Moreover, AML in older patients often has features associated with a poor response to chemotherapy, such as involvement . . .