Leukemia & lymphoma
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Leukemia & lymphoma · Sep 2009
Clinical TrialEffect of low-dose cytarabine, homoharringtonine and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor priming regimen on patients with advanced myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia transformed from myelodysplastic syndrome.
A total of 32 patients (25 with advanced MDS and 7 with t-AML) were enrolled in this study to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the low-dose cytarabine and homoharringtonine in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) (CHG protocol) in patients with advanced myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or MDS-transformed acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML). All the patients were administered the CHG regimen comprising low-dose cytarabine (25 mg/day, intravenous continuous infusion, days 1-14), homoharringtonine (1 mg/day, intravenous continuous infusion, days 1-14), and G-CSF (300 microg/day, subcutaneous injection, days 0-14, interrupted when the peripheral white blood cell count reached >20 x 10(9)/L). The overall response rate was 71.9% after the administration of one course of the CHG regimen. ⋯ Myelosuppression was mild to moderate, and no severe non-hematological toxicity was observed. Thus, a CHG priming regimen as an induction therapy was well tolerated and effective in patients with advanced MDS or t-AML. Stronger and alternative subsequent chemotherapy is necessary for patients with CR to maintain longer CR and better OS.