Idarubicin Plus Behenoyl Cytarabine and 6-thioguanine Compares Favorably with Idarubicin Plus Cytarabine-based Regimen for Children with Previously Untreated Acute Myeloid Leukemia: 10-Year Retrospective, Multicenter Study in Korea

We investigated the outcome of idarubicin plus N4-behenoyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl cytosine (BHAC)-based chemotherapy (BHAC group, n=149) compared to idarubicin plus cytarabine-based chemotherapy (cytarabine group, n=191) for childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Between January 1996 and December 2005, 340 children with AML from 5 university hospitals in Korea received the BHAC-based or cytarabine-based chemotherapy, with or without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. After induction therapy, 264 (77.6%) of 340 children achieved a complete remission (CR) and 43 (12%) achieved a partial remission (PR). The CR rate in the BHAC group was higher than in the cytarabine group (85.2% vs. 71.7%, P=0.004). However, the overall response rate (CR+PR) was not different between the two groups (93.3% vs. 87.9%, P=0.139). The 5-yr estimates of overall survival (OS) of children in the two groups were similar (54.9% for the BHAC group vs. 52.4% for the cytarabine group, P=0.281). Although the results were analyzed according to the treatment type and cytogenetic risk, the OS showed no significant difference between the BHAC group and the cytarabine group. In the present study, the clinical outcomes of the BHAC-based chemotherapy, consisting of BHAC, idarubicin, and 6-TG, are comparable to that of the cytarabine-based chemotherapy for childhood AML.

Leucemia mielóide aguda complicando gestaçäo: relato de um caso / Acute myeloid leukemia pregnancy: a case repost

Os autores relatam o caso de uma paciente branca, de 23 anos, que foi internada na Clínica Obstétrica do Hospital Universitário Antonio Pedro com gestaçäo de 23 semanas, complicada com febre, tosse produtiva, petéquias, sangramento vaginal e palidez. Encaminhada à Hematologia Clínica, foi feito o diagnóstico de leucemia mielóide aguda, forma M3 (Promielocítica). A paciente foi tratada com Daunomicina, Arabinoside da Citosina, Prednisona, 6-Tioguanina, além de terapêutica suporte. Houve boa tolerância da paciente e do feto à quimioterapia. A evoluçäo fetal foi acompanhada por ultra-sonografia e tococardiografia. A leucemia näo remiu completamente, mas a evoluçäo clínica da doente era boa quando entrou em trabalho de parto entre a 32ª e 33ª semanas de gestaçäo, após ser submetida a procedimento obstétrico desnecessário. Deu a luz a um feto de sexo masculino que desenvolveu síndrome de angústia respiratória 40 minutos após o nascimento, que veio a falecer com 26 horas de vida. A necrópsia näo revelou anomalias congênitas macro ou microscópicas ou ainda lesöes atribuíveis ao uso dos quimioterápicos. A mäe faleceu no 12§ dia de pós-parto com sepse e graves manifestaçöes hemorrágicas conseqüentes ao recrudescimento de sua doença básica