Definition of cure in childhood acute myeloid leukemia

BACKGROUND A better understanding of when cure can be declared in childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) would reduce anxiety and improve quality of life of AML survivors. The authors determined the likelihood that patients with AML would maintain long‐term remission after the completion of therapy. METHODS The cumulative risk of relapse, the time to relapse, event‐free survival, and overall survival were analyzed for 604 patients with AML who were enrolled in 7 successive clinical trials divided into 3 treatment eras (1976‐1991, 1991‐1997, and 2002‐2008). RESULTS The median time to relapse did not change over time (0.93 years vs 0.76 years vs 0.8 years, respectively, for each consecutive era; P = .22), but the risk of relapse decreased significantly (5‐year cumulative incidence of relapse: 52.6% ± 3.1% vs 31.5% ± 3.9% vs 22% ± 3%, respectively, for each consecutive era; P