Differentiation induction therapy with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in a patient with secondary 11q23 leukemia.
OBJECTIVE
Frequently recurrent leukemia is encountered in childhood and is usually resistant to multidrug therapy. We evaluated the efficacy of differentiation induction therapy in a child with leukemia.


METHODS
We administered all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) alone, and then a combination of low-dose 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (Ara-C), to a 7-year-old boy who had leukemia secondary to etoposide with chromosomal abnormality 11q23.


RESULTS
The patient exhibited a good response to ATRA and had a complete remission after combination therapy of ATRA and low-dose Ara-C.


CONCLUSIONS
Differentiation induction therapy with ATRA was effective in treating a patient with recurrence of leukemia without t(15;17) translocation, and which is resistant to conventional cytotoxic treatment.
Kakihara
T
T
Department of Pediatrics, Niigata University School of Medicine, Japan.
Tanaka
A
A
Kataoka
S
S
Yamamoto
K
K
Okada
R
R
Watanabe
A
A
Uchiyama
M
M
Kishi
K
K
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D002648:Child; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D014178:Translocation, Genetic; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D003561:Cytarabine; D014212:Tretinoin; D005047:Etoposide