Is There Still a Role for Low-Dose All-Transretinoic Acid in the Treatment of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in the Arsenic Trioxide Era?

摘要

According to pharmacokinetic studies, low and standard doses of all-transretinoic acid (ATRA) have shown similar plasma concentrations. Based on this, as well as on the financial constraints of our uninsured patients, we evaluated the efficacy of low-dose ATRA (LD-ATRA) plus anthracycline-based chemotherapy in 22 newly diagnosed patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and concluded that it is safe and effective in achieving complete remission (CR); however, the relapse rate was 27.2%, which is higher than the expected relapse rate using standard doses of ATRA.