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Comparing Arsenic-Containing Qinghuang Powder and Low-Intensity Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

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Abstract

Objective

To compare the clinical effect of arsenic-containing Qinghuang Powder (QHP) and low-intensity chemotherapy (LIC) in treatment of elderly acute myeloid leukemia (eAML) patients.

Methods

Clinical data of 80 eAML patients treated at Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from January 2015 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The treatment scheme was designed by real world study according to patients’ preference, and patients were divided into a QHP group (35 cases) and a LIC group (45 cases). The median overall survival (mOS), 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates, and incidence of adverse events were compared between the two groups.

Results

The mOS of 80 patients was 11 months, and the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were 45.51%, 17.96%, and 11.05%, respectively. The QHP and LIC groups demonstrated no significant difference in mOS (12 months vs. 10 months), 1- (48.57% vs. 39.65%), 2- (11.43% vs. 20.04%), and 3-year OS rates (5.71% vs. 13.27%, all P>0.05). Moreover, the related factors of mOS demonstrated no significant difference in patients with age>75 years (11 months vs. 8 months), secondary AML (11 months vs. 8 months), poor genetic prognosis (9 months vs. 7 months), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score ⩾ 3 (10 months vs. 7 months) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant comorbidity index ⩾ 4 (11 months vs. 7 months) between the QHP and LIC groups (all P>0.05). However, the incidence of myelosuppression was significantly lower in the QHP group than that in the LIC group (28.57% vs. 73.33%, P<0.01).

Conclusions

QHP and LIC had similar survival rates in eAML patients, but QHP had a lower myelosuppression incidence. Hence, QHP can be an alternative for eAML patients who do not tolerate LIC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, China

    Yu-he Wu, Hai-yan Xiao, Ri-cheng Quan, Xu-dong Tang, Wei-yi Liu, Yan Lyu, Zhuo Chen, Chi Liu &  Xiao-mei Hu

  2. Graduate School, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China

    Yu-he Wu

Authors
  1. Yu-he Wu
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  2. Hai-yan Xiao
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  3. Ri-cheng Quan
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  4. Xu-dong Tang
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  5. Wei-yi Liu
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  6. Yan Lyu
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  7. Zhuo Chen
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  8. Chi Liu
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Contributions

Hu XM contributed to the study design. Wu YH and Hu XM wrote the manuscript. Xiao HY, Quan RC, Tang XD, Liu WY, Lyu Y, Chen Z, Liu C, and Hu XM conducted the clinical research. All authors have read and agreed to the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiao-mei Hu.

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No competing financial interests exist.

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81673821 and 81774142), and Special Research Foundation of Central Level Public Scientific Research Institutes (No. ZZ10-016)

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Wu, Yh., Xiao, Hy., Quan, Rc. et al. Comparing Arsenic-Containing Qinghuang Powder and Low-Intensity Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 29, 832–837 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-023-3603-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-023-3603-6

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