Age Acts as an Adverse Independent Variable for Survival in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Data From a Cohort in Northeast Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Survival for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) decreases with age. Patients across all age groups from a homogeneous ethnic and socioeconomic background were studied to document age effect.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed from 2005 to 2015 at a university hospital in Northeast Mexico were divided into 4 age groups: infants (< 1), children (≥ 1 to < 16), adolescents (≥ 16 to ≤ 20), and adults (> 20 years). Correlation between age at diagnosis and relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) was investigated.

RESULTS: A total of 377 patients were included. Five-year RFS and OS for children were 55.6% and 66.9%; for adolescents, 36.0% and 48.3%; for adults, 19.5% and 24.1%, respectively. Differences in RFS and OS between age groups were significant (P < .001, P < .001). In the Cox regression model, all age groups reached statistical significance in univariate analysis of mortality.

CONCLUSION: Age plays a decisive role in clinical evolution of ALL and strongly influences outcome. Age older than 20 represents a progressive high-risk factor for death.