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Patients with t(8;21)(q22;q22) and acute myeloid leukemia have superior failure-free and overall survival when repetitive cycles of high-dose cytarabine are administered.

Author(s): Byrd JC, Dodge RK, Carroll A, Baer MR, Edwards C, Stamberg J, Qumsiyeh M, Moore JO, Mayer RJ, Davey F, Schiffer CA, Bloomfield CD

Affiliation(s): Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC 20307, USA. john_c.byrd@wramaa.chcs.amedd.army.mil

Publication date & source: 1999-12, J Clin Oncol., 17(12):3767-75.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of single compared with repetitive (at least three) cycles of high-dose cytarabine after induction therapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who have the t(8;21)(q22;q22) karyotype. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients entered onto the study had AML and t(8;21) and attained a complete remission on four successive Cancer and Leukemia Group B studies. In these studies, either > or = three cycles of high-dose cytarabine or one cycle of high-dose cytarabine was administered, followed by sequential cyclophosphamide/etoposide and mitoxantrone/diaziquone with or without filgrastim support. Outcomes of these two groups of t(8;21) patients were compared. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients with centrally reviewed AML and t(8;21) were assigned to receive one (n = 29) or > or = three cycles (n = 21) of high-dose cytarabine as postinduction therapy. The clinical features of these two groups of patients were similar. Initial remission duration for t(8;21) patients assigned to one cycle of high-dose cytarabine was significantly inferior (P =.03), with 62% of patients experiencing relapse with a median failure-free survival of 10.5 months, compared with the group of patients who received > or = three cycles, in which only 19% experienced relapse and failure-free survival is estimated to be greater than 35 months. Furthermore, overall survival was also significantly compromised (P =.04) in patients assigned to one cycle of high-dose cytarabine, with 59% having died as a consequence of AML, compared with 24% of those who received > or = three cycles of high-dose cytarabine. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that failure-free survival and overall survival of patients with t(8;21)(q22;q22) may be compromised by treatment approaches that do not include sequential high-dose cytarabine therapy.

Page last updated: 2006-01-31

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