title: Treatment of acute leukaemia with m-AMSA in combination with cytosine arabinoside.
abstract: A series of 46 patients with acute leukaemia were treated with amsacrine (m-AMSA) and cytosine arabinoside (ara-C). Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 15 of 38 (40%) patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) and 4 of 8 (50%) patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The CR rate was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) for the younger, previously treated patients with AML (9/16) than for the older previously untreated ones (6/22), because of higher treatment mortality in the latter group. Myelosuppression was prolonged and profound. Major nonhaematological toxicity affected the gastrointestinal tract (nausea, vomiting, mucositis, bleeding and ileus associated with severe diarrhoea). Many patients also developed reversible hepatic dysfunction and two elderly patients died of cardiac arrhythmia. Further trials of this combination are justified in patients with relapsed or resistant leukaemia, but for older patients dose reduction is recommended.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Dhaliwal
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shannon
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Prentice
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bragman
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Malpas
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Lister
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000677:Amsacrine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D000677:Amsacrine; D003561:Cytarabine