Young Adults Presenting with Extramedullary Acute Myeloid Leukemia Have A Unique Sensitivity to High Doses of Anthracyclines: Subset Analysis of ECOG 1900,
Authors: Fernandez Hugo F. , Sun Zhuoxin , Litzow Mark R. , Luger Selina M. , Paietta Elisabeth , Racevskis Janis , Dewald Gordon W. , Ketterling Rhett P , Bennett John M. , Rowe Jacob M. , Lazarus Hillard M. , Tallman Martin S. 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Abstract 3619
Extramedullary (EM) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is generally associated with a poor prognosis. We evaluated the baseline characteristics, response and survival characteristics in a subset of patients age ≤ 60 years with de novo AML and EM manifestations at presentation, treated on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group E1900 protocol: daunorubicin 45 or 90 mg /m2 x3 days in conjunction with cytarabine 100 mg/m2 × 7 days followed by risk-stratified consolidation. (Fernandez et al New Engl J Med 2009)

Methods:
Patient baseline characteristics were compared using Fisher's exact test if they were categories and Wilcoxon rank sum tests if they were continuous. Logistic regression models were used for complete remission (CR) rates and Cox regression models were used for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The univariate models included indication of whether patient had extramedullary disease involvement, adjusted by induction treatment. The multivariate models were further adjusted for age, gender, cytogenetic risk, ECOG PS, WBC, platelets, marrow blast, hemoglobin, peripheral blasts, and secondary AML. All P values were based on 2-sided tests.

Results:
58 (8.9%) of 651 patients in the study presented with evidence of EM at diagnosis. Patients with EM disease were younger and presented with higher peripheral WBC counts and circulating blasts than those without. Immunophenotyping did not demonstrate a difference in baseline CD56 expression (p=0.77). Sites of EM involvement included gingival hypertrophy (n= 33), skin (n= 7), central nervous system (n= 6), lymphadenopathy (n=6), mediastinum (n=2) and other (n=6). 3 patients had multiple sites. Cytogenetic risk in the EM subgroup was favorable (8.6%), indeterminate (inadequate/missing) (34.5%), intermediate (37.9%) and unfavorable (19%) and did not differ statistically from those without EM disease.
The complete remission (CR) rates were similar for patients with EM disease compared to those patient's without, regardless of the anthracycline dose (univariate model p= 0.93; multivariate model p=0.88. DFS (patients in CR) and OS of patients with EM disease was not significantly different in the univariate (p= 0.99, p=0.49) or multivariate models (p= 0.92, p=0.37), respectively. On multivariate modeling patients with EM AML who received the standard-dose of daunorubicin had a shorter OS (HR 1.86, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.91, p=0.006). OS was not improved in EM patients treated with high-dose daunorubicin (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.14, p=0.12) (Table). There was a significant difference in OS for patients with EM treated with the 90 mg/m2 dose of daunorubicin compared to patients with EM treated with the 45 mg/m2 dose (multivariate model: HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.76, p=0.01).

Conclusion:
Younger patients with de novo EM AML are sensitive to higher doses of anthracycline in induction therapy and should be treated in a similar fashion as patients without EM involvement. For both groups the higher doses of anthracycline are recommended as CR rates, DFS and OS are improved. Further evaluation of immunophenotypic and molecular/ genetic characteristics should be undertaken in this subset of patients.

Disclosures:
No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.