Older age is associated with similar quality of life and physical function compared to younger age during intensive chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia.

We examined the quality of life (QOL) and physical function over the first three cycles of intensive chemotherapy in 103 newly diagnosed younger (18-59 years, n=64) and older adults (age 60 or older, n=39) with acute myeloid leukemia. Both QOL and physical function were worse than normative data. QOL was fairly stable over time and similar in both age groups, whereas physical function generally improved over time, although the improvement was somewhat greater in younger than older adults. Compared to younger adults, older adults tolerate intensive chemotherapy quite well from QOL and physical function perspectives.