Iraqi Journal of Hematology (Jan 2019)

Acute myeloblastic leukemia: Important clinical and epidemiological facts from Hiwa Hospital in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq

  • Shwan Ali Tawfiq,
  • Ahmed Khudair Yassin,
  • Hisham A AlGetta,
  • Kawa Muhamedamin Hasan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/ijh.ijh_11_19
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 2
pp. 69 – 73

Abstract

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BACKGROUND: Acute myeloblastic leukemia is the most common acute leukemia in adults, with both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. It has a poor treatment outcome both locally and internationally. The aim of this study was to investigate some epidemiological aspects and treatment outcome of AML patients treated in single center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective observational study extended from February 2013 to February 2018 and included 98 patients who referred to Hiwa Hematology Oncology Hospital in Sulaymaniyah city. All patients had met the diagnostic criteria by flow cytometry for de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Electronic records of all patients were reviewed carefully. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients (46 females and 52 males) with a mean age of 42 years were included the study, with new diagnosis of AML, most of the patients were below the age of 60 years (81%), while only 19% were 60 years of age or older. The most frequent subtype is AML M3 (n = 25; 25.5%) of patients, followed by M1, M2 (n = 16; 16.3%) each, and M5 (n = 15; 15.3%) with M4, M0, M6, M7, and acute leukemia of ambiguous lineage comprising the remainder, respectively. The clinical features at the diagnosis of the 98 patients included pallor in 91 patients (92.9%), easy fatigability in 82 patients (83.6%), while bleeding tendency was present in 46 patients (46.9%) in the form of ecchymosis, petechial hemorrhage, epistaxis, or abnormal vaginal bleeding. Fever was present in 85 patients (86.7%), while pain in the form of headache, generalized body ache, or bone pain was initially manifested in 29 patients (29.6%). The survival of our patients at 1 year is (88%) M3 patients, while it was (58%) for non-M3 patient. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and epidemiological characteristics were different in some aspect, while comparable in other when compared to published studies. treatment outcome and survival data were comparable to international data.

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