title: CECA-cyclophosphamide, etoposide, carboplatin and cytosine arabinoside--a new salvage regimen for relapsed or refractory acute myelogenous leukemia.
abstract: In an effort to develop more effective therapy for patients with refractory or relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia (R-AML) we combined three drugs with proven activity in AML, that are not typically used in induction regimens, with cytosine arabinoside (ara-C). Twenty-five patients (3 primary refractory, 22 relapsed) were treated. Patients received 3 days of "CECA" therapy as follows: cyclophosphamide (CTX) 1 g/m2 i.v. over 2 hrs., etoposide (VP-16) 200 mg/m2 i.v. over 3 hr, carboplatin (CBP) 150 mg/m2 i.v. over 24 hours and ara-C 1 g/m2 over 2 hr. Peripheral circulating blasts cleared in 24 cases (96%), and marrow aplasia was achieved in 19 (76%). There were 3 complete remissions (CR), 1 patient died before day 14, 5 died aplastic 14 or more days from the start of therapy, 5 had primary resistant disease, and 10 had secondary resistance i.e., leukemia reappearing after developing aplasia and 1 was lost to follow up 6 weeks into therapy. Two of the patients achieving CR received allogeneic BMT in CR (at 18 and 22 weeks): one died of fungal infection on day 50 and the other, who had CNS involvement at relapse, is alive 24 months post transplant. Toxicity was tolerable: one patient each developed grade III diarrhea and mucositis, another had grade III cardiac toxicity, a fourth developed a grade IV bilirubin elevation. Single, 2, and 3 or more infectious episodes occurred in 10, 5 and 4 patients respectively. This regimen showed definite anti-leukemic activity: the 3 patients achieving CR were among 23 patients with a 1%, 10% or 20% expectation for second CR attainment. The CECA regimen should be investigated in better prognosis salvage groups.
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA. skornblau@mdacc.tmc.edu
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kornblau
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kantarjian
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andreeff
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Koller
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beran
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keating
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Estey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011034:Podophyllotoxin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D016879:Salvage Therapy
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003561:Cytarabine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011034:Podophyllotoxin; D002945:Cisplatin