The results of chemotherapy have improved very little since 1970. However, certain patient characteristic do affect the prognosis and should be assessed in each newly diagnosed patient with AML in order to make optimal therapeutic decisions. Prognostic factors are clinical or laboratory features which define subgroups with predictable outcomes to different treatment strategies. They ultimately relate to the basic biology of the leukemia in a given patient and now identify targets for specific treatment. Only relatively recently have clinical trials adequately addressed the heterogeneity of AML, and may soon enable us now to set out the best treatment strategy for a given patient as soon as possible after diagnosis. This section aims to review the factors which influence outcome. This has also been recently reviewed by Greenberg. Five cases of AML illustrate the use of prognostic factors in a separate section.
Author(s): Peter R. Galbraith MD,FRCP(C)
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