Treatment outcomes for newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve TP53-mutated acute myeloid leukemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: TP53 mutations, which are present in 5% to 10% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), are associated with treatment resistance and poor outcomes. First-line therapies for TP53-mutated (TP53m) AML consist of intensive chemotherapy (IC), hypomethylating agents (HMA), or venetoclax combined with HMA (VEN + HMA). METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to describe and compare treatment outcomes in newly diagnosed treatment-naïve patients with TP53m AML. Randomized controlled trials, single-arm trials, prospective observational studies, and retrospective studies were included that reported on complete remission (CR), CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi), overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), duration of response (DoR), and overall response rate (ORR) among patients with TP53m AML receiving first-line treatment with IC, HMA, or VEN + HMA. RESULTS: Searches of EMBASE and MEDLINE identified 3006 abstracts, and 17 publications describing 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. Random-effects models were used to pool response rates, and time-related outcomes were analyzed with the median of medians method. IC was associated with the greatest CR rate of 43%, and CR rates were 33% for VEN + HMA and 13% for HMA. Rates of CR/CRi were comparable for IC (46%) and VEN + HMA (49%) but were lower for HMA (13%). Median OS was uniformly poor across treatments: IC, 6.5 months; VEN + HMA, 6.2 months; and HMA, 6.1 months. For IC, the EFS estimate was 3.7 months; EFS was not reported for VEN + HMA or HMA. The ORR was 41% for IC, 65% for VEN + HMA, and 47% for HMA. DoR was 3.5 months for IC, 5.0 months for VEN + HMA, and was not reported for HMA. CONCLUSIONS: Despite improved responses seen with IC and VEN + HMA compared to HMA, survival was uniformly poor, and clinical benefits were limited across all treatments for patients with newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve TP53m AML, demonstrating a significant need for improved treatment for this difficult-to-treat population. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13045-023-01417-5.