title: Role of low dose cytarabine in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia: An experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To highlight the acceptable results seen after use of low dose cytarabine in elderly patients of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with comorbidities.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective study carried on 30 newly diagnosed patients of AML over 60 years of age who were unfit for standard treatment regimens. We did not use azacytidine and decitabine in our patients because these therapeutic modalities being extremely costly and our patient affordability being poor. After taking patient consent and institutional ethical clearance these patients were treated with 20 mg/m(2) cytarabine subcutaneously in two divided doses 12 h apart for 4 days every week for 4 weeks which constituted a cycle before disease, re-assessment was done. A repeat cycle was administered where ever needed and after attainment of remission, we continued low dose cytarabine for 2 days/week as maintenance after complete or partial response was documented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our study, we found that around 20% of patients achieved complete remission and 30% partial remission. The remission rates were definitely influenced by counts at presentation, performance at presentation, comorbidities, underlying myelodysplastic syndrome and baseline cytogenetics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low dose cytarabine is effective treatment option for elderly patients with AML when standard treatment options are not warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Haematology, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: Yasir
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Haematology, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: Sajjad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geelani
authors.affiliation: Department of Lab Haematology, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: Nusrat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: Shabeer A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mir
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: Mosin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mushtaq
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Haematology, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: M Aleem
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Haematology, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: Javid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rasool
keywords: Comorbidity; elderly acute myeloid leukemia; low dose cytarabine
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