Hypomethylating agents plus venetoclax in younger acute myeloid leukemia: Meta-analysis of a shifting treatment paradigm.

Abstract

In younger, fit patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), intensive chemotherapy (IC) followed by consolidation or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the standard approach. The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate younger patients with AML treated with hypomethylating agents (HMA) plus venetoclax. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched through February 2026. Studies included AML patients with a median age <70 years treated with HMA/venetoclax. Primary outcomes were complete remission (CR/CRi) rate, measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity, 1-year overall-survival (OS), 1-year event-free survival (EFS), and rates of HSCT. Eight studies (two randomized controlled trials, two phase 2 trials, and four real-world studies), comprising 429 patients with a mean age of 54 years, were included. The pooled CR/CRi rate was 66% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48%-85%), with an MRD-negative rate of 69% (95% CI, 49%-90%). The pooled 1-year OS was 75% (95% CI, 63%-86%), exceeding Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database cohorts (62%). The 1-year EFS was 59% (95% CI, 53%-65%), with low between-study heterogeneity. Overall, 66% of patients successfully proceeded to HSCT. Meta-regression analyses suggested a trend toward improved EFS and OS in studies using decitabine than azacitidine. In younger patients with AML, HMA plus venetoclax yielded high response rates, MRD negativity, and a substantial proportion of patients proceeding to HSCT. These findings support HMA/venetoclax as an effective induction strategy in selected younger patients and provide a rationale for prospective randomized trials comparing this approach with IC-based regimens.