Sorafenib maintenance after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation improves outcome of FLT3–ITD-mutated acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract

In a retrospective analysis, 21 acute myeloid leukemia patients receiving single-agent sorafenib maintenance therapy in complete remission (CR) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were compared with a control group of 22 patients without maintenance. Sorafenib was initiated a median of 3 months (IQR: 2.3–3.5) after allogeneic HSCT with a median daily dosage of 400 mg (range: 200–800) orally, and lasted a median of 11.3 months (IQR: 3.3–24.4). No significant increase in graft versus host disease or toxicity was observed. Adverse events were reversible with dose adjustment or temporary discontinuation in 19/19 cases. With a median follow-up of 34.7 months (IQR: 16.9–79.5), sorafenib maintenance significantly improved cumulative incidence of relapse (p = 0.028) as well as overall survival (OS) (p = 0.016), especially in patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT in CR1 (p < 0.001). In conclusion, sorafenib maintenance after allogeneic HSCT is safe and may improve cumulative incidence of relapse and OS in FLT3–ITD-mutated AML.