Prognostic Impact of Methylation-Related Gene Mutations in Elderly Acute Myeloid Leukemia

A new study conducted at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital in Fuzhou, People's Republic of China, has evaluated the prognostic impact of methylation-related gene mutations in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The research analyzed clinical characteristics in 645 patients aged 60 years diagnosed with AML between July 2016 and December 2024. The study found that methylation-related gene mutations, specifically, , and, were identified in a significant proportion of cases. Patients with concurrent and mutations demonstrated the poorest treatment response and prognosis, while those with / mutations responded better to treatment.

Key Takeaways:

• Methylation-related gene mutations are present in 24.0%, 22.5%, 9.1%, and 13.8% of AML cases, respectively.
• Patients with single mutations in or exhibited similar long-term survival outcomes compared to those without these mutations, with median survival times of 25.2 and 22.3 months, respectively.
• Concurrent and mutations were associated with significantly poorer treatment response and survival outcomes.
• Treatment regimens combining azacitidine and venetoclax did not provide additional improvement in treatment response for patients with methylation-related gene mutations compared to intensive chemotherapy.
• The study concluded that these common methylation-related gene mutations did not influence the choice between IC and azacitidine plus venetoclax combination therapy in elderly AML patients.
• The research highlighted the importance of understanding the prognostic impact of methylation-related gene mutations in AML, particularly in older patients.

Statistics:

• 645 patients aged 60 years were analyzed in the study.
• 24.0% of cases had mutations, 22.5% had mutations, 9.1% had mutations, and 13.8% had mutations.
• Patients with concurrent and mutations demonstrated a complete remission (CR) rate of 35.5% and a median survival of only 6.2 months.
• Patients with / mutations achieved a CR rate of 69.6% and a median survival of 34.7 months.
• The study found that methylation-related gene mutations did not influence the choice between IC and azacitidine plus venetoclax combination therapy in elderly AML patients.

Sources:

• Prognostic impact of methylation-related gene mutations in elderly acute myeloid leukemia: a real-world retrospective analysis. Frontiers in Medicine, 2025;12:1594784.
• NewsRx. Fujian Medical University Union Hospital Reports Findings in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (Prognostic impact of methylation-related gene mutations in elderly acute myeloid leukemia: a real-world retrospective analysis). Chemicals & Chemistry. June 13, 2025; p 1344.