Survival difference between secondary and de novo acute myeloid leukemia by age, antecedent cancer types, and chemotherapy receipt

Abstract Background This study compared the survival of persons with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) to those with de novo AML (dnAML) by age at AML diagnosis, chemotherapy receipt, and cancer type preceding sAML diagnosis. Methods Data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 17 Registries were used, which included 47,704 individuals diagnosed with AML between 2001 and 2018. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compare AML‐specific survival between sAML and dnAML. Trends in 5‐year age‐standardized relative survival were examined via the Joinpoint survival model. Results Overall, individuals with sAML had an 8% higher risk of dying from AML (hazard ratio [HR], 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05–1.11) compared to those with dnAML. Disparities widened with younger age at diagnosis, particularly in those who received chemotherapy for AML (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.10–1.19). In persons aged 20–64 years and who received chemotherapy, HRs were greatest for those with antecedent myelodysplastic syndrome (HR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.83–2.28), ovarian cancer (HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.19–3.08), head and neck cancer (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.02–2.36), leukemia (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.12–1.89), and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.20–1.69). Among those aged ≥65 years and who received chemotherapy, HRs were highest for those with antecedent cervical cancer (HR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.15–5.10) and myelodysplastic syndrome (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.19–1.38). The 5‐year relative survival improved 0.3% per year for sAML slower than 0.86% per year for dnAML. Consequently, the survival gap widened from 7.2% (95% CI, 5.4%–9.0%) during the period 2001–2003 to 14.3% (95% CI, 12.8%–15.8%) during the period 2012–2014. Conclusions Significant survival disparities exist between sAML and dnAML on the basis of age at diagnosis, chemotherapy receipt, and antecedent cancer, which highlights opportunities to improve outcomes among those diagnosed with sAML.