Study Shows Young Black Patients with AML Have Worse Treatment Outcomes
Despite advances in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML), younger Black patients, below the age of 60, with this aggressive blood cancer have a 27% higher chance of dying compared with younger white patients. Research conducted by Bhavana Bhatnagar, DO, and Ann-Kathrin Eisfeld, MD, both of the Leukemia Research Program at the OSUCCC – James and faculty members at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, explored factors that might contribute to this disparity.
They found that, even when Black patients received the same treatment and follow-up care as their white counterparts, they still fared worse. This remained true in Black patients whose cancer carried certain genetic mutations that typically predict better prognosis and survival. The researchers presented their findings at the Plenary Scientific Session during the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting that took place virtually this year. Full findings were published in the journal Cancer Discovery.
