Patient-reported outcomes in acute myeloid leukemia: Where are we now?

Outcomes for acute myeloid leukemia remain poor, and treatment decisions must consider not just quantity, but also quality of life (QOL). We conducted a systematic review of studies in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome that incorporated patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. PubMed and PsycINFO were searched for articles published from January 2000 through June 2016. Forty-one were relevant for our review with more published in recent years. There was considerable inter-study heterogeneity in which instruments were used, and many studies employed multiple (often overlapping) instruments. Longitudinal studies in particular suffered from both high attrition rates due to disease-related mortality as well as waning compliance with questionnaire completion. There remain significant challenges to incorporation of PROs into leukemia trials. Despite these limitations, however, well-implemented PROs can provide important information beyond objective response outcomes and highlight areas of focus for clinicians caring for patients and for future research endeavors.