Dr. Radich on the Impact of MRD on Survival Outcomes in AML

Jerald Radich, MD, an associate professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and member of the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discusses the impact of minimal residual disease (MRD) on survival outcomes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Over the years, a fair amount of data in transplant eligible and ineligible patient populations have indicated that those who are MRD positive have a significantly higher risk of relapse vs MRD-negative patients—approximately 2- to 3-fold, Radich says. A large analysis with 10,000 patients from multiple studies was recently conducted and results demonstrated that MRD was consistently associated with relapse and overall survival, Radish explains. The association was observed regardless of age, treatment, and whether MRD was defined by flow cytometry or genetic testing, Radich notes.

Overall, MRD positivity in this patient population is associated with negative outcomes, according to Radich. Approximately 30% of patients who are MRD positive will not relapse, while approximately 30% of patients who are MRD negative will, Radish concludes.