title: Low dose Ara-C for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.
abstract: Forty patients with high risk myelodysplastic syndromes--refractory anemia with excess blasts, refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation, or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia--were treated with subcutaneous low dose cytosine arabinoside, 10 mg/m2 twice daily for up to 42 days. In 38 evaluable patients there were nine (24%) complete and four (11%) partial responses. Response was associated with symptomatic improvement and resolution of the need for red cell and platelet transfusions. The median duration of complete response was 9.8 months (range, 2.4-17.9); these patients had a median survival of 15.7 months (range, 6.0-22.7). Toxicities were predominantly those associated with pancytopenia, i.e., infection and hemorrhage.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Research Center, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Capizzi
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Muss
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lyerly
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Connelly
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Buss
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bearden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012074:Remission Induction
chemical_list: D003561:Cytarabine