ASH 2021 | Real-world outcomes of venetoclax + azacitidine versus intensive chemotherapy in newly diagnosed AML

Amer Zeidan, MBBS, Yale University and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, outlines the design and findings of a retrospective study investigating the real-word outcomes achieved with venetoclax plus azacitidine versus intensive chemotherapy as a first-line therapy in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients with AML treated with venetoclax plus azacitidine or intensive chemotherapy were selected using the US-based Flatiron Health electronic medical records (EMR) database and propensity score matching. Overall, it was found that overall survival (OS) was similar to that of the Viale-a Phase III trial comparing venetoclax plus azacitidine versus azacitidine alone in treatment-naïve patients with AML (NCT02993523). Results also highlighted that bone marrow biopsies were performed only in a small number of patients treated with venetoclax plus azacitidine after their first cycle of treatment, which may result in suboptimal patient care. This interview took place at the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition congress in Atlanta, GA.