All-Oral AML Regimen Eases Burden on Busy Infusion Centers

The May 2026 FDA approval of oral decitabine/cedazuridine (DEC-C; Inqovi) plus venetoclax (Venclexta) for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) introduced a fully oral alternative to injectable hypomethylating agent (HMA) regimens. CancerNetwork® spoke with Michael R. Savona, MD, professor of internal medicine and cancer biology and director of the Hematologic Malignancies Research and Early Therapy Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center; and Courtney D. DiNardo, MD, MSCE, professor in the Department of Leukemia and the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, about how much relief this oral formulation offers to busy infusion centers, and what clinical visits still need to look like for these patients.

Transcript:

CancerNetwork: Moving to an all-oral regimen heavily impacts clinical logistics from an operational standpoint. How much relief does this oral formulation offer to busy infusion centers by removing the standard 5- to 7-day monthly injection burden?

Savona: Clearly, people will not be coming in as often to get parenteral azacitidine or decitabine along with their venetoclax; those drugs typically are not mixed until the patient arrives, and then it takes a while to get them infused or injected subcutaneously. When people are on the all-oral [regimen], they are still going to have to come in frequently for visits, and that is one of the important things to remember. Going all oral does not mean going all virtual. Patients still need to come in to get their blood work and be examined because they have acute leukemia and need at least weekly visits in that first cycle, if not more frequent visits for transfusion needs.

DiNardo: I completely agree. It helps the logistics for the patient, for sure. In busy infusion centers, my patients are sometimes waiting hours after they have seen me for a blood or platelet transfusion, or for an infusion appointment for a cycle of therapy. That aspect of infusion time is a great benefit that helps organize both the clinic flow and the patient. As was said, we certainly do not want to lose sight of these patients; they still need to be coming in for clinic visits and lab checks.

Reference

FDA approves oral combination of decitabine and cedazuridine tablets with venetoclax for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia. News release. FDA. May 13, 2026. Accessed July 13, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/mv77f4fk