Longer distance to specialized treatment centers does not adversely affect treatment intensity or outcomes in adult acute myeloid leukemia patients. A Danish national population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is widely centralized. Longer distances to a specialized treatment center may affect patients' access to curative-intended treatment. Especially during outpatient treatment, distance may also affect survival. METHODS AND PATIENTS: The authors conducted a national population-based cohort study including all AML patients diagnosed in Denmark between 2000 and 2014. We investigated effects of distance (<10 kilometers [km; reference], 10-25, 25-50, 50-100, >100) to the nearest specialized treatment facility on the probability of receiving intensive chemotherapy, HSCT, and achieving a complete remission (CR) using logistic regression analysis (odds ratios; ORs). For overall survival, we used Cox proportional hazards regression (hazard ratios [HRs]) and adjusted (a) for relevant baseline characteristics. RESULTS: Of 2,992 patients (median age=68.5 years), 53% received intensive chemotherapy and 12% received low-dose chemotherapy outpatient regimens. The median distance to a specialized treatment center was 40 km (interquartile range=10-77 km). No impact of distance to specialized treatment centers was seen on the probability of receiving intensive chemotherapy (10-25 km, aOR=1.1 (CI=0.7-1.7), 25-50 km, aOR=1.1 (CI=0.7-1.7), 50-100 km, aOR=1.3 (CI=0.9-1.9), and >100 km, aOR=1.4 [CI=0.9-2.2]). Overall survival in patients regardless of therapy (<10 km, aOR=1.0 vs >100 km, aOR=1.0 [CI=0.9-1.2]), in intensive therapy patients, or in patients' choice of post-remission was not affected by distance to specialized treatment center. Distance to a transplant center also did not affect the probability of HSCT or survival post-HSCT. CONCLUSION: In Denmark, distance to a specialized treatment facility offering remission-induction chemotherapy and HSCT does not negatively affect access to curative-indented therapy, treatment-response, or survival in AML patients.

Addressing the room for improvement in management of acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is highly curable. To achieve high cure rates, targeted therapy with retinoic acid (ATRA) must be started promptly at time of suspected diagnosis. Early death rates (EDRs, ≤30 days from diagnosis) differ markedly in patients treated on clinical trials compared to the general population. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: We used the comprehensive Danish National Acute Leukemia Registry (DNLR) to investigate the incidence, treatment, EDR, and long-term clinical outcome in APL between 2000 and 2014. RESULTS: Twenty-two of 41 deaths occurring in 122 APL patients were EDs which were primarily caused by intracranial hemorrhage, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), sepsis, and multiorgan failure. The overall EDR was 18.0%, whereas clinical trial participants had an EDR of 6.7%. Fifteen patients recruited to the NCRI AML17 APL trial from 2010 to 2013 were younger and had decreased mortality (HR 0.18, CI 0.04-0.86, P = 0.02) compared to contemporarily treated patients (n = 15) not recruited to a clinical trial. Performance status, leukemia origin, and Sanz-score were independent prognostic variables. CONCLUSIONS: The very low EDR for on-trial patients is not observed in the general cohort of APL patients. Diagnostic awareness emerges as the greatest clinical challenge in management of APL.

Effects of Education and Income on Treatment and Outcome in Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia in a Tax-Supported Health Care System: A National Population-Based Cohort Study.

Purpose Previous US studies have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) affects survival in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, no large study has investigated the association between education or income and clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome in AML. Methods To investigate the effects of education and income in a tax-supported health care system, we conducted a population-based study using individual-level SES and clinical data on all Danish patients with AML (2000 to 2014). We compared treatment intensity, allogeneic transplantation, and response rates by education and income level using logistic regression (odds ratios). We used Cox regression (hazard ratios [HRs]) to compare survival, adjusting for age, sex, SES, and clinical prognostic markers. Results Of 2,992 patients, 1,588 (53.1%) received intensive chemotherapy. Compared with low-education patients, highly educated patients more often received allogeneic transplantation (16.3% v 8.7%). In intensively treated patients younger than 60 years of age, increased mortality was observed in those with lower and medium education (1-year survival, 66.7%; adjusted HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.93; and 1-year survival, 67.6%; adjusted HR, 1.55; CI, 1.21 to 1.98, respectively) compared with higher education (1-year survival, 76.9%). Over the study period, 5-year survival improvements were limited to high-education patients (from 39% to 58%), increasing the survival gap between groups. In older patients, low-education patients received less intensive therapy (30% v 48%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.65; CI, 0.44 to 0.98) compared with high-education patients; however, remission rates and survival were not affected in those intensively treated. Income was not associated with therapy intensity, likelihood of complete remission, or survival (high income: adjusted HR, 1.0; medium income: adjusted HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.82 to 1.12; low income: adjusted HR, 1.06; CI, .88 to 1.27). Conclusion In a universal health care system, education level, but not income, affects transplantation rates and survival in younger patients with AML. Importantly, recent survival improvement has exclusively benefitted highly educated patients.