Different prognosis according to treatment in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia: How the outcome changed over time

A comprehensive analysis of 220 patients diagnosed with APL between 1993 and 2022 is here reported. Overall, 214 patients (97.2%) received induction therapy. Complete response (CR) was achieved in 97.4%, 100%, 100%, and 27% of patients treated with AIDA protocol, AIDA + Ara-C, ATRA + ATO, and ATRA monotherapy, respectively. Molecular complete response (CRMRD-) was achieved in 96.8% cases, and 142 patients proceeded to maintenance therapy. Overall, the 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 80.8% (95% CI, 78.1–83.5) and 79.1% (95% CI, 76.4–81.8), respectively. Considering only patients who completed induction and maintenance therapy, the 5-year OS rates were 82.1% (95% CI, 77.5–86.7) for the AIDA0493 cohort, 87.5% (95% CI, 84.4–91.1) for the AIDA2000 cohort, and 100% for the APL0406 cohort (p = 0.044). Additionally, the disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 65.7% (95% CI, 60.4–70.9), 70% (95% CI, 65.8–75.2), and 95.1% (95% CI, 91.7–98.5) (p = 0.016), respectively. Among low and intermediate-risk patients, age > 70 years (p = 0.027) and relapse (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with reduced outcomes. This study contributes to the advancement of our understanding of APL treatment, underscoring the ongoing need for research to enhance outcomes and explore new therapeutic approaches and prognostic factors.