title: Low-dose Ara-C in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute nonlymphoid leukemia. Experience with seven patients.
abstract: Seven patients were treated with low dose Ara-C (LDAC). Five patients had acute nonlymphoid leukemia (ANLL), two patients had myelodisplastic syndrome (MDS): refractory anemia (RA) and refractory anemia with excess of blasts in transformation (RAEB-t). Ara-C treatment was given by s.c. injections at a dose of 10-11 mg/m2 every 12 h and only on two occasions by continuous infusion. No improvement, or limited improvement, was observed in five patients and they died of leukemia or of disease-related complications. Two patients with ANLL achieved remission: the first patient after bone marrow aplasia, the second without aplasia but with morphologic evidence of granulocytic differentiation of leukemic cells.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D003561:Cytarabine