Prognostic factors in children with acute myeloid leukaemia and excellent response to remission induction therapy

Minimal residual disease (MRD) is a strong prognostic factor in children and adolescents with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) but nearly one-quarter of patients who achieve MRD-negative status still relapse. The adverse prognostic factors among MRD-negative patients remain unknown. We analysed the AML02 study cohort to identify demographic and genetic prognostic factors. Among the presenting features, certain 11q23 abnormalities, such as t(6;11) and t(10;11), acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia without the t(1;22), and age ≥10 years were associated with inferior outcome in patients who had MRD-negative status after either remission induction I or II. By contrast, those with rearrangement of CBF genes had superior outcome. Our study identifies patient populations for whom close post-remission MRD monitoring to detect and treat emerging relapse and adjustment in treatment intensity might be indicated.