Outcomes in younger patients with newly diagnosed FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may be improved by adding a potent pan-FLT3 inhibitor to chemotherapy, according to the new research findings presented at the 23rd Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), which took place from June 14 to 17, 2018. This study assessed the outcomes of a sub-group of newly diagnosed FLT3-mutant AML patients treated with crenolanib and standard chemotherapy to be targeted in a pivotal phase III trial comparing crenolanib with midostaurin. Crenolanib is a benzimidazole type 1 kinase inhibitor that selectively and potently inhibits signaling of wild-type and mutant isoforms of class III receptor tyrosine kinases FLT3 and PDGFRα/β. In December 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation for crenolanib for the treatment of patients with FLT3 mutation-positive relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. In the current study, 27 of 29 consecutive patients ≤ 60 years old enrolled in a phase II study of crenolanib combined with chemotherapy in newly diagnosed FLT3-mutant AML (NCT022831772) were included in the analysis. Two patients were excluded due to prior treatment for a myeloproliferative disorder and pre-existing liver cirrhosis. The researchers noted that a phase III, randomized, multicenter trial has now been launched to compare the efficacy of crenolanib versus midostaurin combined with standard chemotherapy for newly diagnosed patients with FLT3-mutant AML (NCT032589313).
