Key clinical point: Azacitidine treatment for hematological relapse of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with poor outcomes; however, patients receiving subsequent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) may benefit from it.
Major finding: With a median follow-up of 4.7 and 13.6 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 5.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4-13) months and 9.5 (95% CI, 5.6-NA) months in patients receiving azacitidine as the first-line treatment of relapse and those receiving it after other treatment of relapse, respectively. In addition, the median OS was 11.6 (95% CI, 5.5-NA) months and not reached in patients who proceeded to salvage allo-HSCT in both groups, respectively.
Study details: This was a retrospective multicenter study of 31 patients with MDS or AML who had a hematological relapse after allo-HSCT and were treated with azacitidine.
Disclosures: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Drozd-Sokołowska J et al. Eur J Haematol. 2021 Mar 25. doi: 10.1111/ejh.13628 .