The treatment of hairy cell leukemia with 2'-deoxycoformycin: results in India and in the United States.
We treated 11 patients (nine men and two women) with hairy cell leukemia with low doses of pentostatin (2'-deoxycoformycin). As of January 1987, 10 patients (91%) were in complete remission (CR) and one (9%) was in partial remission. Thus, the overall response rate was 100%. Maintenance therapy was not given once CR was attained, but no patient in CR relapsed: remission durations were from 40+ to 9+ months. For hairy cell leukemia, pentostatin is a better treatment than splenectomy and probably is superior to interferon, but further studies are needed to better define its role in this disease.
D000328:Adult; D003070:Coformycin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015649:Pentostatin; D010976:Platelet Count; D012263:Ribonucleosides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014481:United States
D012263:Ribonucleosides; D003070:Coformycin; D015649:Pentostatin