RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of decitabine combined with preexcitation regimen in the treatment of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who have not been relieved by the first standard induction chemotherapy and its influence on the relative content of regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs). METHODS: The clinical data of 102 newly diagnosed AML patients (except acute promyelocytic leukemia) who did not relieve after initial standard induction chemotherapy in Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital from March 2013 to March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Fifty-one patients who accepted pre-excitation regimen were divided into regular group, while another 51 patients treated with decitabine combined with pre-excitation regimen were divided into combination group. The efficacy, incidence of toxic and side effects, Core Scale of Quality of Life (QLQ-C30) score before and after treatment, T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, Tregs) and 3-year overall survival (OS) rate were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The total effective rate of combination group was 80.39%, which was significantly higher than 62.75% of regular group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the QLQ-C30 score of combination group was 60.27±6.96, which was significantly lower than 65.73±7.96 of regular group (P < 0.001). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of toxic and side effects between the two groups (P >0.05). After treatment, the levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ in the combination group were higher than those in the regular group (all P < 0.001), while Treg was lower (P < 0.001). The 3-year OS rate in the combination group was 72.55%, which was significantly higher than 52.94% in the regular group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Decitabine combined with preexcitation regimen has a significant effect on AML patients who have not been alleviated by standard induction chemotherapy in the first course of treatment. It can reduce anti-tumor immune suppression and improve immune function by regulating the relative content of Tregs, thus prolongs survival time and improves life quality of patients without increasing adverse reactions.