Transplantation in First Remission of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract

In patients under the age of 60 who have acute myeloid leukemia, chemotherapy now routinely produces a complete remission in 70 to 80 percent of cases.^1,2 Since it is generally accepted that survival is poor if relapse occurs, the priority is to make the most of the remission. Patients in this age group have three options after they enter remission.If an HLA-matched sibling donor is available, allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is usually chosen. This strategy offers a 50 to 60 percent chance of cure; it became standard treatment in the early 1980s, when the five-year survival with chemotherapy . . .