Cytarabine with high-dose mitoxantrone induces rapid complete remissions in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia without the use of vincristine or prednisone.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new induction regimen for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that does not contain vincristine or corticosteroids.


METHODS
Thirty-seven adult patients with newly diagnosed ALL and lymphoblastic lymphoma were treated with a dose-intense induction regimen. This regimen was designed to increase the fraction of patients achieving an early complete remission (CR) in an attempt to increase long-term disease-free survival. The induction regimen was cytarabine (Ara-C) 3 g/m2/d for 5 days and mitoxantrone 80 mg/m2 as a single dose on day 3. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) 200 micrograms/ m2/d beginning on day 7 was used to promote early myeloid recovery.


RESULTS
There were 31 CRs (84%). Median time to CR was 34 days, median hospital stay was 28 days, and the median number of days with a neutrophil count less than 500/microL was 18. There were three patients with resistant disease who experienced treatment failure and three early deaths from sepsis. Four patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) ALL achieved hematologic and cytogenetic CRs.


CONCLUSIONS
This dose-intense induction regimen produced a high incidence of CRs with acceptable toxicity without the use of vincristine or corticosteroids. Comparisons with our prior vincristine/prednisone-based induction regimen (the L-20 protocol) suggest that patients treated on the current study were more likely to achieve a CR and that they achieved this remission earlier than patients treated with a traditional four-drug (vincristine, prednisone, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide) induction regimen.
Weiss
M
M
Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Maslak
P
P
Feldman
E
E
Berman
E
E
Bertino
J
J
Gee
T
T
Megherian
L
L
Seiter
K
K
Scheinberg
D
D
Golde
D
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008942:Mitoxantrone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D012074:Remission Induction; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects
D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; D014750:Vincristine; D008942:Mitoxantrone; D011241:Prednisone