The drug Vidaza (azacitadine) can be an effective treatment for those elderly patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who cannot tolerate standard treatments, according to the journal Cancer. Treatment for AML patients often starts off with induction chemotherapy followed by consolidation therapy. The induction therapy usually consists of chemotherapy that will provide complete remission. The consolidation therapy is further treatment to help prevent recurrence.

There haven't been many strides in recent years for elderly patients diagnosed with AML. Some of these patients do not seem to be able to tolerate the same treatments given to younger patients diagnosed with the disease.

Vidaza has not been extensively studied with AML but is the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for myelodysplastic syndromes. It does have promise to help those who cannot tolerate standard treatments for AML. Researchers at the Western Pennsylvania Cancer Institute developed a trial that included 20 patients older than 55. Sixty percent of the 20 patients had anticancer responses. The patients that did respond to Vidaza were still alive at 15 months, compared to only 2.5 months for those who did not respond to the drug.