Low dose Ara-C for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.
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.
Powell
B L
BL
Oncology Research Center, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Capizzi
R L
RL
Jackson
D V
DV
Richards
F
F
Muss
H B
HB
Lyerly
E S
ES
Rosenbaum
D L
DL
Connelly
R A
RA
Buss
D H
DH
Bearden
J D
JD
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
D003561:Cytarabine