Cited by 2,663Acute Myeloid Leukemia ResearchRetinoids in leukemia and cellular processesHematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Efficacy of azacitidine compared with that of conventional care regimens in the treatment of higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes: a randomised, open-label, phase III study

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Fenaux, Pierre, Mufti, Ghulam J, Hellstrom-Lindberg, Eva, Santini, Valeria, Finelli, Carlo, Giagounidis, Aristoteles, Schoch, Robert, Gattermann, Norbert +11 more·2009·The Lancet Oncology

Abstract

Background Drug treatments for patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes provide no survival advantage. In this trial, we aimed to assess the effect of azacitidine on overall survival compared with the three commonest conventional care regimens.Methods In a phase III, international, multicentre, controlled, parallel-group, open-label trial, patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes were randomly assigned one-to-one to receive azacitidine (75 mg/m(2) per day for 7 days every 28 days) or conventional care (best supportive care, low-dose cytarabine, or intensive chemotherapy as selected by investigators before randomisation). Patients were stratified by French-American-British and international prognostic scoring system classifications; randomisation was done with a block size of four. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Efficacy analyses were by intention to treat for all patients assigned to receive treatment. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00071799.Findings Between Feb 13, 2004, and Aug 7, 2006, 358 patients were randomly assigned to receive azacitidine (n=179) or conventional care regimens (n=179). Four patients in the azacitidine and 14 in the conventional care groups received no study drugs but were included in the intention-to-treat efficacy analysis. After a median follow-up of 21.1 months (IQR 15.1-26.9), median overall survival was 24.5 months (9.9-not reached) for the azacitidine group versus 15.0 months (5.6-24.1) for the conventional care group (hazard ratio 0.58; 95% CI 0.43-0.77; stratified log-rank p=0.0001). At last follow-up, 82 patients in the azacitidine group had died compared with 113 in the conventional care group. At 2 years, on the basis of Kaplan-Meier estimates, 50.8% (95% CI 42.1-58.8) of patients in the azacitidine group were alive compared with 26.2% (18.7-34.3) in the conventional care group (p<0.0001). Peripheral cytopenias were the most common grade 3-4 adverse events for all treatments.Interpretation Treatment with azacitidine increases overall survival in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes relative to conventional care.

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  • Hypomethylating agents such as azacitidine and decitabine yield complete remission rates of approximately 15%-20% in patients with either TP53-mutant or wild-type MDS.

    “Hypomethylating agents (HMAs), such as azacitidine and decitabine, yield statistically similar complete remission (CR) rates of approximately 15%-20% in patients with either TP53-mutant or wild-type MDS.12-14”

    From Eprenetapopt (APR-246) and Azacitidine in <i>TP53</i> -Mutant Myelodysplastic Syndromes (2021) · cites this paper as [14]

    The Results (page not provided) report complete remissions with azacitidine in patients with higher-risk MDS. The cited paper does not report remission rates by TP53 mutation status or test whether those rates are statistically similar; its trial did not include decitabine. The available Results passage also does not give a 15%–20% complete-remission rate. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Adverse events with eprenetapopt plus azacitidine were similar to those reported for azacitidine or eprenetapopt monotherapy.

    “Adverse events were similar to those reported for azacitidine or eprenetapopt monotherapy, with the most common grade ≥ 3 adverse events being febrile neutropenia (33%), leukopenia (29%), and neutropenia (29%).”

    From Eprenetapopt (APR-246) and Azacitidine in <i>TP53</i> -Mutant Myelodysplastic Syndromes (2021) · cites this paper as [14]

    The Results (page unavailable) report adverse events in patients receiving azacitidine alone, including grade 3–4 peripheral blood cytopenias. The paper compares azacitidine with conventional care, not with eprenetapopt or the combination, so it cannot establish the claimed similarity between their adverse-event profiles. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Response rates of up to 60% to azacytidine have been reported in MDS.

    “Whilst response rates of up to 60% to azacytidine have been reported in MDS 125,129 ,”

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Authors
Fenaux, P., Mufti, G. J., Hellstrom-Lindberg, E., Santini, V., Finelli, C., Giagounidis, A., Schoch, R., Gattermann, N., Sanz, G., List, A., Gore, S. D., Seymour, J. F., Bennett, J. M., Byrd, J., Backstrom, J., Zimmerman, L., McKenzie, D., Beach, C., & Silverman, L. R.
Affiliations
  • Université Sorbonne Paris Nord (FR)
  • King's College Hospital (GB)
  • Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi (IT)
  • University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (DE)
  • Düsseldorf University Hospital (DE)
  • Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe (ES)
  • Moffitt Cancer Center (US)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Karolinska University Hospital (SE)
  • University of Rochester Medicine (US)
  • The Ohio State University (US)
  • Celgene (United States) (US)
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
Corresponding author
Fenaux, Pierre
Venue
The Lancet Oncology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-03
Volume
10
Issue
3
Pages
223-232
ISSN
1470-2045 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2118771330
Cited by
2,663
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 80 · 2025: 99 · 2024: 103 · 2023: 153 · 2022: 149 · 2021: 182 · 2020: 148 · 2019: 149 · 2018: 132 · 2017: 164 · 2016: 178 · 2015: 173 · 2014: 201 · 2013: 182 · 2012: 178
FWCI
124.66
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Lancet Oncology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Florence Research (University of Florence) (submittedVersion)
  • IRIS UNIMORE (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Celgene
  • National Cancer Institute (K24CA111717)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Retinoids in leukemia and cellular processes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Keywords
azacitidine, myelodysplastic syndrome, high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, overall survival, low-dose cytarabine, intensive chemotherapy, best supportive care, hypomethylating agents, treatment efficacy comparison, hematologic malignancies
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic, Azacitidine, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Proportional Hazards Models

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