Oral arsenic trioxide incorporation into frontline treatment with all‐trans retinoic acid and chemotherapy in newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia: A 5‐year prospective study. Issue 17 (15th May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gill, Harinder; Kumana, Cyrus R.; Yim, Rita; Hwang, Yu‐Yan; Chan, Thomas S. Y.; Yip, Sze‐Fai; Lee, Harold K. K.; Mak, Vivien; Lau, June S. M.; Chan, Chi‐Chung; Kho, Bonnie; Wong, Raymond S. M.; Li, Wa; Lin, Shek‐Yin; Lau, Chi‐Kuen; Ip, Ho‐Wan; Leung, Rock Y. Y.; Lam, Clarence C. K.; Kwong, Yok‐Lam
• Is Part Of: Cancer. Volume 125:Issue 17(2019)
• Page Start: 3001
• Page End: 3012
• Publication Date: 2019-05-15
• Subjects: induction -- leukemia‐free survival -- maintenance -- newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia -- oral arsenic trioxide; Cancer -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Cytopathology -- Periodicals; 616.99405
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.32180
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0008-543X

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Strategies using oral arsenic trioxide (As2 O3 ) are efficacious in relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), but they have not been examined in newly diagnosed cases. Methods: Sixty‐two consecutive patients (24 men and 38 women) with a median age of 52 years (range, 22‐85 years), 36% of whom had high‐risk features, underwent induction with all‐trans retinoic acid at 45 mg/m 2 /d, oral As2 O3 at 10 mg/d, and ascorbic acid at 1 g/d (the all‐trans retinoic acid–arsenic trioxide–ascorbic acid [AAA] regimen) for 6 weeks (with patients younger than 70 years additionally receiving daunorubicin at 50 mg/m 2 /d × 3); they then underwent consolidation with 2 monthly cycles of daunorubicin (50 mg/m 2 /d × 2) and cytarabine (100 mg/m 2 /d × 5) and received AAA maintenance (2 weeks every 8 weeks) for 2 years. A contemporaneous cohort of 37 newly diagnosed patients (15 men and 22 women) with a median age of 51 years (range, 23‐78 years), not consenting to oral As2 O3 induction but receiving similar induction, consolidation, and AAA maintenance, served as a comparator group; 46% of these patients had high‐risk features. Results: The oral As2 O3 induction cohort showed a complete remission (CR) rate of 100%. After a median of 37 months (range, 13‐82 months), there were no relapses, so conventional risks (age, leukocyte and platelet counts, and Fms‐like tyrosine kinase 3 [ FLT3 ] mutations) were not relevant. The leukemia‐free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 100% at 3 years and 94.1% at 5 years. The non–As2 O3 induction cohort showed a CR rate of 100%. After a median of 52 months (range, 14‐77 months), there were 3 relapses (8%). Comparable patients in the oral As2 O3 induction and non–As2 O3 induction cohorts showed similar OS, but LFS was significantly superior in the oral As2 O3 induction cohort. Conclusions: The incorporation of oral As2 O3 into induction for newly diagnosed APL was safe and decreased relapses. Abstract : In the current study, 62 patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia are treated with oral arsenic trioxide, all‐trans retinoic acid, and ascorbic acid as part of their induction regimen, with all achieving complete remission, and this is followed by consolidation with daunorubicin and cytarabine and maintenance with oral arsenic trioxide, all‐trans retinoic acid, and ascorbic acid. In comparison with a contemporaneous cohort of 37 patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia who are treated similarly but without oral arsenic trioxide during induction, the oral arsenic trioxide cohort appears to have significantly superior leukemia‐free survival.