Key clinical point: In patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the detection of measurable/minimal residual disease (MRD) via next-generation sequencing (NGS) after the first consolidation (MRD 2nd) might provide better prognostic insight than after the first complete response (CR) postinduction chemotherapy (MRD 1st).
Major finding: Patients with detectable MRD at either time point had a higher cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), shorter relapse-free survival (RFS), and poorer overall survival (OS; all P less than .001). However, patients with positive MRD 1st but negative MRD 2nd had good prognosis similar to those with negative MRD at both time points (CIR, P = .140; RFS, P = .231; OS, P = .188).
Study details: Findings are from a retrospective study that analyzed 1,005 bone marrow samples serially collected at diagnosis, the first CR after induction chemotherapy, and after the first consolidation chemotherapy from 335 patients with de novo AML.
Disclosures: This study was funded by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology (Taiwan) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Taiwan). Some investigators reported research funding from Celgene. Other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Tsai CH et al. Blood Adv. 2021 May 17. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003738 .