The prognostic significance of chromosomal findings in patients with acute myeloid leukemia in a study comparing the efficacy of autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

In a prospective study designed to assess the efficacy of autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and allogeneic BMT in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, we analysed the prognostic significance of chromosomal findings for obtaining complete remission (CR), disease-free survival and survival. Patients with a normal karyotype were more likely to achieve CR than patients with an abnormal chromosomal analysis (p = 0.02). There was no difference observed in survival from CR between patients with or without chromosomal abnormalities, nor was there a difference if the analysis was restricted to subgroups of allogeneic or autologous BMT treated patients. Applying prognostic cytogenetic criteria as defined by Keating et al. (remission induction: good risk: t(8;21) or inv(16), intermediate risk: normal or 45,X,-Y or t(15;17) and poor risk: all other; remission duration: good risk: t(15;17) or inv(16), intermediate risk: normal, 45,X,-Y or t(8;21) and poor risk: all other) no differences were observed between good and intermediate prognosis groups, although the poor prognosis group had a reduced CR rate.