Venetoclax in combination with azacitidine or decitabine in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia

Purpose: To investigate the clinical effects of venetoclax combined with azacitidine or decitabine in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Methods: 208 eligible first-line participants, who were diagnosed and treated for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia between January 2022 and December 2022, were recruited from the Department of Hematology of Loudi Central Hospital, China. The patients were randomly divided into study and control groups at the point of recruitment. Patients in the control group received venetoclax combined with decitabine, while those in the study group received venetoclax in combination with azacitidine. Clinical data for the two groups were recorded. The primary endpoints of this study included efficacy, routine blood indices, and adverse reactions. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in baseline characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05), indicating comparability. The total effectiveness of the treatment (i.e., efficacy) in the study group was higher than in the control group (p < 0.05), while the control group had a higher risk of platelet, red blood cell, and neutrophil absolute count reduction than the study group (p < 0.05). The platelet count and hemoglobin level were lower in the control group after treatment compared to the study group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The combination of venetoclax with azacitidine improves the efficacy and blood routine indices of patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia, while reducing adverse reactions.