OBJECTIVES : Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive leukemia associated with poor overall survival. Patients with AML experience significant disease symptoms and treatment-related consequences that diminish health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychosocial well-being. The objective of this targeted literature review was to assess humanistic burden evidence in patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML.

METHODS : Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched via the Ovid platform for all relevant humanistic burden studies between 2013 and 2018. The search strategy combined terms including AML and disease burden, quality of life (QOL), HRQoL, patient preference among others.

RESULTS : 11 unique humanistic burden studies including randomized clinical trials (n=3), prospective studies (n=5) and patient surveys (n=3) from North America and Europe met eligibility criteria. Studies included adult patients with AML (mean age: 52 to 73.2 years). The European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer core 30-item questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was reported in ~50% of all QoL studies (n=5/11). Fatigue and pain were among the most common and severe symptoms reported across all studies. Patients with secondary or R/R AML reported worse HRQoL than patients with denovo AML. Achievement of remission was associated with markedly improved HRQoL after one year with similar trends for younger versus older patients (<60 vs ≥60 years). Younger and older patients (<60 vs ≥60 years) one year from diagnosis reported no differences in global health or fatigue. Patients obtaining complete response perceived improvement in global health, physical and emotional functioning, and symptoms burden.

CONCLUSIONS : AML is a life-threatening condition. The disease and treatment-related toxicities cause distressing symptoms that worsen overall health status, significantly impair daily functioning, role-fulfillment and emotional health. Treatments with the potential to induce long-term remission and complete responses are needed to improve outcomes for this deadly disease.