Educational content on VJHemOnc is intended for healthcare professionals only. By visiting this website and accessing this information you confirm that you are a healthcare professional.

Share this video  

ASH 2020 | The role of MRD monitoring using MFC for AML: a real-world study

Bruno Paiva, PhD, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, discusses the results of a large-scale study evaluating the use of multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) to assess measurable residual disease (MRD) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) for risk stratification. Decentralized MRD analyses using MFC detected patients in first remission with inferior survival, providing prognostic benefits to patients with AML. However, the results question its readiness for risk stratification outside clinical trials. This interview took place during the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2020 Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Transcript (edited for clarity)

In this ASH we are presenting on the impact of measurable residual disease by multi-parameter flow cytometry, a real-world study in 1,076 patients with acute myeloid leukemia. I think everyone agrees that evolution of MRD is standard in patients with AML. However, the role of de-centralized MRD assessment for re certification in AML remains largely unknown. And so it tells which mythological aspects are critical to empower the integration of MRD with prognostic significance, particularly when using multi-parameter flow...

In this ASH we are presenting on the impact of measurable residual disease by multi-parameter flow cytometry, a real-world study in 1,076 patients with acute myeloid leukemia. I think everyone agrees that evolution of MRD is standard in patients with AML. However, the role of de-centralized MRD assessment for re certification in AML remains largely unknown. And so it tells which mythological aspects are critical to empower the integration of MRD with prognostic significance, particularly when using multi-parameter flow. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the role of de-centralized MRD assessment, which is in contrast to the majority of studies where MRD is performed in a single or a few laboratories for the re certification and putative treatment in the utilization of patients with AML.

Well this is, as I said, one of the largest studies investigating the role of MRD using multi-parameter flow more than 1,000 patients. Our results confirmed that the detection of MRD identifies patients in first remission with the three-year survival. But also uncovered that decentralized MRD testing lacks significance when compared to other baseline risk factors and in the context of risk adaptive post-conservation strategies.

To some extent, we believe that while this study has demonstrated that real world de-centralized assessment of MRD using flow does provide prognostic information in AML patients with first remission our results also question its readiness for risk certification towards clinical decisions outside clinical trials, at least until adequate sterilization, but eventually our modernization of this technique is achieved.

Read more...