title: Preliminary results with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC)-containing chemotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory acute leukemia. The EORTC Leukemia Cooperative Group.
abstract: Twenty two patients with acute relapsed leukemia (AML 20, ALL 2) were treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) and either m-amsacrine or idarubicin. DAC was administered as a 6-h infusion, every 12 h for 6 days in combination with either m-amsacrine (120 mg/m2) as a 1-h infusion on days 6 and 7 (n = 19) or idarubicin (12 mg/m2) as a 15-min infusion on days 5, 6 and 7 (n = 3). Thirteen patients (59%) achieved a complete remission. The treatment was complicated by nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea with signs of peritonitis (n = 9), weight loss (n = 7), cerebellar or cerebral toxicity (n = 2), gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 3), liver toxicity (n = 2) and prolonged myelosuppression. Median duration of remission was 4 months (range 1-30). The preliminary data show that DAC is an anti-leukemic agent, comparable to high dose Ara-C with comparable severe toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Willemze
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Archimbaud
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muus
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000677:Amsacrine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001374:Azacitidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077209:Decitabine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015255:Idarubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000677:Amsacrine; D000077209:Decitabine; D001374:Azacitidine; D015255:Idarubicin