e18011 Background: The incidence of obesity is increasing worldwide and is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. In AML high body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased risk of treatment-related complications; the overall survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia is inferior, with most studies conducted in the pediatric population. Aim: To evaluate the effect of increasing (BMI) in the overall survival (OS) of adult patients with AML/High risk MDS. Methods: After obtaining IRB approval, all adult patients with AML diagnosed and treated at our institution (2002–2010) were studied. Data collection included patient demographics, laboratory tests, bone marrow biopsies, BMI, and survival information. We classified the AML patients into two groups according to BMI (kg/m2) classification by WHO; normal Weight 18-25 kg/m2, overweight and obese >25 kg/m2. Chi-Square and T-test were used for between group comparisons and Kaplan-Meier test was applied for survival estimates. Results: Adult patients with newly diagnosed AML (n = 130) had a median age of 55 years (range: 19-90), and 43 (56%) patients were older than 75 years. Seventy-two patients (55%) were male and 58 (45%) were female. 45 patients (35%) in total had complex cytogenetics, 20 patients (15%) had AML arise from MDS.Forty-four patients (34%) were considered normal weight; Eighty-six patients (66%) were classified as overweight or obese. Overall median survival was 28 weeks; patients with BMI 18-25 kg/m2 had a 36-week median survival, while patients with BMI <25 kg/m2 had a 25-week median survival (p<0.499). Conclusions: Overall survival was low in the study population; survival in obese and overweight patients (BMI>25) was slightly lower than normal weight group (18-25 kg/m2), although this did not translate into a survival benefit. Future large scale studies may be needed to further define the role of BMI in survival benefit for these patients.
Correction to: Combining the differentiating effect of panobinostat with the apoptotic effect of arsenic trioxide leads to significant survival benefit in a model of t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia
