Psychiatric and substance use disorders predict poor outcomes in older veterans with acute myeloid leukemia.

Summary

Older veterans with acute myeloid leukemia who have preexisting psychiatric disorders or substance use disorders experience significantly lower remission rates and higher mortality. These findings suggest that mental health comorbidities are critical predictors of poor clinical outcomes in real-world populations often excluded from clinical trials.

Key result

Complete remission or complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery was achieved by only 38% of veterans with substance use disorders, compared with 57% of the overall cohort.

Key figure