Comparison of clinical outcomes between preemptive and maintenance therapy after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia.

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of preemptive and maintenance therapies as post-transplant therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients with AML who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation and received post-transplant therapy were eligible. Preemptive therapy was initiated if elevated Wilms' tumor-1 mRNA was detected in the peripheral blood. Twenty-nine patients received either preemptive (n = 12) or maintenance therapy (n = 17). The median age was 56 years (range, 18-70). The median time from transplantation to intervention was 77 days (range, 43-203) for maintenance and 346 days (range, 104-1027) for preemptive therapy. Maintenance therapy consisted of azacitidine (AZA) monotherapy in six patients, venetoclax (VEN) + AZA in five, and VEN + cytarabine (AraC) in six. Preemptive therapy consisted of AZA monotherapy in two patients, VEN + AZA in nine, and VEN + AraC in one. One-year overall survival from intervention was 92% for maintenance and 73% for preemptive therapy (P = 0.28), and 1-year event-free survival was 83% and 66%, respectively (P = 0.29). No serious adverse events or treatment-related mortality were observed in either group. Both therapies were safe and effective in preventing disease relapse. A prospective study comparing these two groups is warranted.