In a nutshell
This study compared the safety and effectiveness of quizartinib compared to chemotherapy in the treatment of relapsed or unresponsive acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Researchers found that quizartinib was safer and more effective than chemotherapy in these patients.
Some background
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the bone marrow. It is often treated with chemotherapy. This may have side effects or patients may not respond. Quizartinib is another type of treatment. It is a targeted therapy that works by targeting a protein on cancer cells. This leads to cancer cell death. It is not known if quizartinib is more safe and effective in treating AML that has come back or did not respond to previous treatment.
Methods & findings
367 patients were included in this study. 245 were given quizartinib. 122 were given chemotherapy. Patients were followed up for 23.5 months.
On average, overall survival was significantly higher in the quizartinib group than in the chemotherapy group (by 24%). The estimated survival at 1 year was 27% in the quizartinib group compared to 20% in the chemotherapy group.
Sepsis (infection in the blood) was seen in 241 patients on quizartinib compared to 94 patients on chemotherapy. Lung infection was seen in 12% of patients on quizartinib compared to 9% on chemotherapy. Death due to side effects occurred in 33% of patients on quizartinib compared to 17% in the chemotherapy group.
The bottom line
The study concluded that quizartinib could be an effective alternative to chemotherapy in patients with relapsed or unresponsive high-risk AML.
The fine print
The quizartinib group was much larger than the chemotherapy group in this study. Also, the patients know which group they belonged to. This may affect the results.
This study was funded by Daiichi Sankyo, the manufacturer of quizartinib.
Published By :
The Lancet. Oncology
Date :
Jun 04, 2019
