Outcomes for Patients With Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in South Africa

The characteristics and outcomes of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) from sub-Saharan Africa have not been published. We report retrospectively on consecutively diagnosed APL patients treated in Cape Town, South Africa, during 1998-2019. A total of 69 patients were treated, of whom 27 (39%) were classified as having high risk APL. Early death rates at 7 and 30 days were 7% and 13%, respectively, including 4 patients who died before any treatment could be administered. Overall survival at 3 years was 76.5% (95% confidence interval, 63.9-85.2) for the entire cohort, and 82.5% (95% confidence interval, 69.7-90.2) if patients who died within 7 days of diagnosis were excluded. For 13 patients (18.8%), there was a delay of 5 or more days from time of initial presentation at a peripheral hospital until arrival at the leukemia center and administration of all-trans retinoic acid; only 1 of these patients died within 30 days. Despite the challenges faced in the public healthcare system of a developing country, outcomes of APL patients treated at our center are similar to outcomes from developed countries. To assess the characteristics and outcomes of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) from sub-Saharan Africa, we retrospectively analyzed data from consecutively diagnosed APL patients treated in Cape Town, South Africa, during 1998-2019. Early death rates at 7 and 30 days were 7% and 13%, respectively; overall survival at 3 years was 76.5%. Outcomes of APL patients treated at our center are similar to outcomes from developed countries.