Acute myeloid leukemia: update in diagnosis and treatment in Brazil

Ricardo Helman, Fabio Pires de Souza Santos, Belinda Simões, Elias Hallack Atta, Fernando Callera, Jane de Almeida Dobbin, Éderson Roberto Mattos, Angelo Atalla, Angelo Maiolino, Maria Aparecida Zanichelli, Cristiane Fração Diefenbach, Marcia Torresan Delamain, Nelson Hamerschlak

To identify how the Brazilian hematology centers treated and diagnosed cases of acute myeloid leukemia in 2009. An epidemiological observational multicenter study of 11 listed Brazilian centers that treat acute myeloid leukemia and perform bone marrow transplantation. Data were collected from clinical charts of patients with acute myeloid leukemia treated at the said centers between 2005 and 2009. The availability for immunophenotyping and cytogenetic tests was assessed. During 2009, a total of 345 new cases of acute myeloid leukemia were diagnosed. Differences were noted in the tests performed between patients who initiated treatment at the center and those referred for treatment. Of the participating centers, 72% conducted some type of molecular study in acute myeloid leukemia upon diagnosis. Treatment for acute myeloid leukemia in Brazil shows significantly inferior results when compared to other centers worldwide.