Introduction: Therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly populations (>65 years) is still a challenge for scientists and hematologists worldwide, and represents an urgent medical need. Notably, the identification and the recognition of molecular and epigenetic mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of such a heterogeneous disease, are providing new tools for a more successful and ‘targeted’ approach. Azacitidine is a hypomethylating agent (HMA) with relevant activity in patients affected by myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and AML with low blast cells percentage (>30%), in terms of reduction of transfusion dependence, and improvement of quality of life. Areas covered: This review summarizes the mechanism of action, safety profile and efficacy of azacitidine in the field of elderly AML populations, providing up-to-date references on this subset of high-risk patients. Expert opinion: HMAs are the first successful treatment for elderly patients with high-risk MDS and are effective for some AML subtypes. Translational studies based on gene expression profiling and molecular sequencing, would be able to identify, in the near future, patients with a favorable profile of response to these compounds suggesting new potential treatment combinations also.
Efficacy of Azacitidine in the treatment of adult patients aged 65 years or older with AML / Tenti, Elena; Papayannidis, Cristina; Marconi, Giovanni; Parisi, Sarah; Simonetti, Giorgia; Paolini, Stefania; Sartor, Chiara; Ottaviani, Emanuela; Testoni, Nicoletta; Martinelli, Giovanni. - In: EXPERT OPINION ON PHARMACOTHERAPY. - ISSN 1465-6566. - ELETTRONICO. - 17:18(2016), pp. 2479-2486. [10.1080/14656566.2016.1258056]
Efficacy of Azacitidine in the treatment of adult patients aged 65 years or older with AML
TENTI, ELENA;PAPAYANNIDIS, CRISTINA;MARCONI, GIOVANNI;PARISI, SARAH;SIMONETTI, GIORGIA;PAOLINI, STEFANIA;SARTOR, CHIARA;OTTAVIANI, EMANUELA;TESTONI, NICOLETTA;MARTINELLI, GIOVANNI
2016
Abstract
Introduction: Therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly populations (>65 years) is still a challenge for scientists and hematologists worldwide, and represents an urgent medical need. Notably, the identification and the recognition of molecular and epigenetic mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of such a heterogeneous disease, are providing new tools for a more successful and ‘targeted’ approach. Azacitidine is a hypomethylating agent (HMA) with relevant activity in patients affected by myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and AML with low blast cells percentage (>30%), in terms of reduction of transfusion dependence, and improvement of quality of life. Areas covered: This review summarizes the mechanism of action, safety profile and efficacy of azacitidine in the field of elderly AML populations, providing up-to-date references on this subset of high-risk patients. Expert opinion: HMAs are the first successful treatment for elderly patients with high-risk MDS and are effective for some AML subtypes. Translational studies based on gene expression profiling and molecular sequencing, would be able to identify, in the near future, patients with a favorable profile of response to these compounds suggesting new potential treatment combinations also.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.