title: Treatment of prolymphocytic leukemia with cladribine.
abstract: Prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder that takes a rapidly progressive course and where therapeutic interventions are often unsuccessful. In this context, the new purine analogs may be a promising option. We report two cases of PLL treated with cladribine. The first patient had been resistant to polychemotherapy (COP) but responded well to two courses of 2-CdA. He achieved a partial remission, which he maintained for 15 months. The second patient had very advanced disease but obtained a partial response after three courses of 2-CdA, given as a first-line therapy in an ambulatory setting. These results, as well others reported in the literature, permit us to consider 2-CdA as a highly promising therapeutic option for PLL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Brazil.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lorand-Metze
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Aranha
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017338:Cladribine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D015463:Leukemia, Prolymphocytic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D012074:Remission Induction
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D017338:Cladribine