%0 Journal Article
%T Quality of life and mood of older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving intensive and non-intensive chemotherapy
%J -
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-019-0449-1
%X Older patients with AML face difficult treatment decisions as they can be treated either with ¡®intensive¡¯ chemotherapy requiring prolonged hospitalization, or ¡®non-intensive¡¯ chemotherapy. Although clinicians often perceive intensive chemotherapy as more burdensome, research is lacking on patients¡¯ quality of life (QOL) and psychological distress. We conducted a longitudinal study of older patients (¡İ60 years) newly diagnosed with AML receiving intensive (cytarabine/anthracycline combination) or non-intensive (hypomethylating agents) chemotherapy. We assessed patients¡¯ QOL [Functional-Assessment-of-Cancer-Therapy-Leukemia] and psychological distress [Hospital-Anxiety-and-Depression-Scale] at baseline and 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after diagnosis. We enrolled 75.2% (100/133) of eligible patients within 72-hours of initiating intensive (n£¿=£¿50) or non-intensive (n£¿=£¿50) chemotherapy. Patient QOL improved over time (¦Â£¿=£¿0.32, P£¿=£¿0.013). At baseline, 33.3% (33/100) and 30.0% (30/100) of patients reported clinically significant depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively, with no differences between groups. Patients¡¯ depression symptoms did not change over time, while their anxiety symptoms decreased over time (¦Â£¿=£¿£¿0.08, P£¿<£¿0.001). Patient-reported QOL, depression and anxiety symptoms did not differ significantly at any time point between those who received intensive versus non-intensive chemotherapy. Older patients with AML experience improvements in their QOL and anxiety while undergoing treatment. Patients receiving intensive and non-intensive chemotherapy have similar QOL and mood trajectories
%U https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-019-0449-1