Summary
Seventy-seven elderly patients (median age 72, range 59–85) with de novo AML were treated with lowdose Ara C (10 mg/m2/12 h over 21 days, for one or two courses). Thirteen (17%) achieved complete remission (CR), 16 (21%) partial remission (PR); 28 (35%) had resistant leukemia, and 20 (26%) early death or death during hypoplasia. Most (86%) of the patients had severe pancytopenia and 58% were hospitalized. Overall median survival was 3 months. Median duration of CR was 9 months. Five CR were longer than 1 year, and two were longer than 4 years. All but one PR were ≤9 months, and 12/16 were ≤4 months. Karnofsky index and karyotype (the latter performed for 52 patients) were the only significant prognostic factors of response to treatment (including CR + PR) and survival: poor response rate (8%) and survival (median 0.7 months) were found in patients with Karnofsky index < 60, compared with 44% and 4 months, respectively, in patients with Karnofsky index ≥60; likewise, patients with rearrangements of chromosome 5 and/or 7 or complex rearrangements had a response rate of 13% and median survival of 1.5 months, compared with 68% and 8 months, respectively, in patients with normal karyotype or single abnormalities (not involving chromosomes 5, 7, or 8). Patients with isolated trisomy 8 had a response rate of 37% but short median survival (2.5 months). Significantly longer survival was seen in responders. Our findings suggest that, overall, low-dose Ara C yields limited results in AML in the elderly. However, it could remain a useful option in elderly patients with AML who are not candidates for intensive chemotherapy (even with the support of growth factors), provided their general condition is not too altered and they do not have an “unfavorable” karyotype (i.e., rearrangements of chromosomes 5 or 7 or complex abnormalities).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baccarani M, Tura S (1979) Differentiation of myeloid leukaemic cells: new possibilities for therapy. Br J Haematol 42: 485–490
Bernard PH, Lacombe F, Reiffers J, et al. (1985) Relationship between patient's age, bone marrow karyotype and outcome of induction therapy in acute myelogenous leukemia. Am J Hematol 18: 153–158
Bolwell BJ, Cassileth PA, Gale RP (1987) Low-dose cytosine arabinoside in myelodysplasia and acute myelogenous leukemia. A review. Leukemia 1: 575–579
Büchner T, Hiddemann W, Koenigsmann M, et al. (1991) Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor after chemotherapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia at higher age or after relapse. Blood 78: 1190–1197
Castaigne S, Daniel MT, Tilly H, Herait P, Degos L (1983) Does treatment with Ara C in low dosage cause differentiation of leukemic cells? Blood 62: 85–86
Cheson BD, Jasperse DM, Simon R, Friedman MA (1986) A critical appraisal of low-dose cytosine arabinoside in patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. J Clin Oncol 4: 1857–1864
Degos L, Castaigne S, Tilly H, Sigaux F, Daniel MT (1985) Treatment of leukemia with low-dose Ara C: a study of 160 cases. Semin Oncol 12 [Suppl 3]: 196–199
Ellison RR, Holland JF, Weil M, et al. (1968) Arabinosyl cytosine: a useful agent in the treatment of acute leukemia in adults. Blood 32: 507–523
Fenaux P, Preudhomme C, Lai JL, et al. (1989) Cytogenetics and their prognostic value in de novo acute myeloid leukemia: a report on 283 cases. Br J Haematol 73: 61–67
Fourth International Workshop on Chromosomes in Leukemia 1982 (1984) Clinical significance of chromosomal abnormalities in acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer Genet Cytogenet 11: 332–350
Ganser A, Volheis B, Greher J, et al. (1989) Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome — a phase-I/II trial. Blood 3: 335–338
Gerhartz HH, Visani G, Delmer A, et al. (1989) Low-dose Ara-C plus granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes: EORTC Leukemia Group. Bone Marrow Transplant 4 [Suppl 3]: 36–37
Lowenberg B, Zittoun R, Kerkhofs U, Abels J, Debusscher L, Cauchie CH, Peetermans M, Solbu G, Suciu S, Stryckmans P (1989) On the value of intensive remission-induction chemotherapy in elderly patients of 65+ years with acute myeloid leukemia: a randomized phase-III study of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Leukemia Group. J Clin Oncol 7: 1268–1274
Ohno R, Tomonaga M, Kobayashi T, et al. (1990) Effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor after intensive induction therapy in relapsed or refractory acute leukemia. N Engl J Med 323: 871–877
Pinkerton PH, London B, Cowan DH (1985) Low-dose cytosine arabinoside in acute myeloid leukemia: remission is not due to differentiation induction. Am J Hematol 19: 415–417
Sachs L (1978) The differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells: new possibilities for therapy. Br J Haematol 40: 509–517
Schiffer CA, Lee EJ, Tomiyasu T, Wiernik PH, Testa JR (1989) Prognostic impact of cytogenetic abnormalities in patients with de novo acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. Blood 73: 263–270
Sebban C, Archimbaud E, Coiffier B, et al. (1988) Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in elderly patients. Cancer 61: 227–231
Tilly H, Castaigne S, Bordessoule D, et al. (1985) Low-dose cytosine arabinoside treatment for acute nonlymphocytic leukemia in elderly patients. Cancer 55: 1633–1639
Tilly H, Castaigne S, Bordessoule D, Casassus P, Le Prise PY, Tertian G, Desablens B, Henry-Amar M, Degos L (1990) Lowdose cytarabine versus intensive chemotherapy in the treatment of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia in the elderly. J Clin Oncol 8: 272–279
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Detourmignies, L., Wattel, E., Laï, J.L. et al. Is there still a role for low-dose cytosine arabinoside in de novo acute myeloid leukemia in the elderly?. Ann Hematol 66, 235–240 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01738471
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01738471