Abstract

Realgar-Indigo naturalis formula(RIF)is an oral form of arsenic developed for treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of a novel RIF combined with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) based chemotherapy-free approach in newly diagnosed APL patients. Patients received oral ATRA (25 mg/m2/day in 2 divided doses) plus intravenous arsenic trioxide (0.15 mg/kg/day) or oral RIF (60 mg/kg/day in 3 divided doses) as induction chemotherapy, followed by 2 consolidations with ATRA plus RIF and maintenance therapy with intermittent ATRA and RIF. From January 2015 to December 2017, 40 subjects were enrolled. Eighteen subjects were male. Median age was 42 years (range, 14–77 years) and 10 subjects were ≥ 60 years. All subjects achieved a complete morphologic remission after initial induction. Molecular complete remission achieved 100% after second RIF plus ATRA consolidation. Median follow-up of survivors was 27 months (range, 7–43 months). The 2-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were both 100%. Adverse events were modest and all patients needed only outpatient care during postremission therapy. Compared to our historical RIF plus ATRA with chemotherapy regimen (the Chinese APL07 trial), the inpatient treatment duration was greatly reduced by the RIF plus ATRA regimen. Our data indicates that early switching to RIF plus ATRA based chemotherapy-free approach has yielded encouraging outcomes and might be considered a practicable option to treat patients with newly diagnosed APL.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.