A recent study published in the American Journal of Hematology by Lukas Haaksma, dr. Dave de Leeuw and colleagues, shows that flow cytometry-based measurable residual disease (MRD) testing is both reliable and predictive in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving hypomethylating agent monotherapy.
Researchers found that leukemia-associated immunophenotypes (LAIPs) in this group were highly comparable to those in younger, intensively treated patients and remained stable at relapse.
Importantly, after three cycles of therapy MRD-positive patients had a significantly higher risk of relapse. The study also highlights that many MRD-negative patients relapsed before a second measurement at nine months, underlining the need for more frequent MRD monitoring.
These findings support the use of flow cytometry MRD testing as a valuable tool for risk assessment and disease monitoring in older AML patients, helping clinicians to identify relapse earlier and optimize treatment strategies.