The Effect of Bone Marrow Reticulin Fibrosis on Survival in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Abstract

Although acute myeloid leukemia is a rare cancer, it is a disease that deserves attention because of its increasing incidence and high mortality. Many prognostic factors, in particular age and cytogenetic classification, are important in the management of AML. Identifying new prognostic factors will enhance our understanding of AML and contribute to improved survival.For the purpose of investigating the impact of bone marrow reticulin fibrosis on overall survival, a total of 121 patients with acute myeloid leukemia were included in the study. Out of these 121 patients, 70 (57.9%) were male and 51 (42.1%) were female. The mean age of all patients was 57.72±16.3 years.There was no bone marrow reticulin fibrosis in 56 patients (47.9%), first degree fibrosis in 47 patients (40.2%), second degree fibrosis in 13 patients (11.1%) and third degree fibrosis in 1 patient (0.9%). No correlation was found between bone marrow reticulin fibrosis and age, gender, FAB classification, or bone marrow blast rate at diagnosis. Patients in the unfavorable cytogenetic risk group had more bone marrow reticulin fibrosis. The mean overall survival was 17.4±1.9 months. In the group without bone marrow reticulin fibrosis, it was 18.87±2.77 months, while in the group with bone marrow reticulin fibrosis, it was 11.09±1.51 months. This observed difference was determined to be statistically significant. Therefore, the presence of bone marrow reticulin fibrosis was considered an important prognostic factor for overall survival.Scientific publications, which have increased significantly in recent years, have contributed to a better understanding of acute myeloid leukemia and thus to the development of new approaches. Pharmacological inhibition of bone marrow reticulin fibrosis could potentially offer clinical utility and extend patient survival. Further studies are needed to incorporate bone marrow reticulin fibrosis into prognostic risk classifications, to develop appropriate chemotherapy regimens, and to improve the clinical efficacy of treatment in AML patients. © 2023 Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi. All rights reserved.