Small but vital pilot study

“The treatment success is likely due to uniform treatment protocols, having a full- time in- house cl i n i c a l haematologist/ haemato- oncologist, following western protocols to treat patients with AML ( Acute Myeloid Leukaemia) and treatment- related complications and h av i n g comprehensive supportive care,” states Consultant Oncologist Dr. Jayantha Balawardena who is the senior author of the study published on May 13 in ‘ eJHaem’, the journal of the British Society of Haematology.

The lead corresponding author of the study titled ‘Applicability of Western protocols in resource- limited setting: Real-world data of long-term outcome of intensive treatment of adult acute myeloid leukaemia in Sri Lanka’ is Consultant Clinical Haematologist Dr. Saman Hewamana.

The researchers state that though it can be considered a small pilot study, the published data would help to benchmark the development of the speciality of blood cancer care in the local setting.

With no published data on long-term survival and applicability of treatment protocols from developed countries in AML in Sri Lanka, the study between 2013 and 2020 had been on:

87 AML patients of whom 56 were newly-diagnosed in the age-group 18 to 65 years.

31 of 33 who started treatment (intensive chemotherapy) achieved complete remission after the first cycle of treatment. The induction mortality was 1 of 33. There were 17 females and 16 males.

12 of 20 patients who completed treatment were alive at the time of analysis.

The estimated five-year overall survival rate was 62.9%.

Strict infection control and treatment and superior clinical experience may have contributed towards a better outcome.

Dr. Hewamana says that they established the Lanka Hospital Blood Cancer Centre in a self- financing hospital in collaboration with colleagues in government subsidised hospitals with designated space, staff and a strategy to treat blood cancers using treatment protocols from the United Kingdom.

“This centre was used for the training of the first haemato- oncology post- graduate trainees from government-subsidised hospitals,” he adds.