Outcome of therapy-related acute promyelocytic leukemia with or without arsenic trioxide as a component of frontline therapy

BACKGROUND: Patients with therapy-related acute promyelocytic leukemia (t-APL) have been commonly exposed to topoisomerase inhibitors and may potentially benefit from induction regimens omitting anthracyclines. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the outcomes of 29 patients with t-APL who were either treated with arsenic trioxide (ATO) and all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) or with standard ATRA plus anthracycline-based chemotherapy was performed. RESULTS: Prior therapy included chemotherapy alone, radiation alone, or a combination of the 2 in 19%, 33%, and 47% of patients, respectively. The combination of ATO and ATRA (n = 19) for induction resulted in a similar remission rate compared with ATRA plus chemotherapy (n = 10) (89% vs 70%; P =.35). The median overall survival for the patients treated with ATRA plus ATO was not reached compared with that for patients treated with ATRA plus chemotherapy (161 weeks; P =.79). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of t-APL patients, outcomes with ATO and ATRA appeared to be comparable to anthracycline-containing induction regimens. This combination may be preferable in t-APL patients to avoid any risk of anthracycline-induced toxicities. Cancer 2011.