In a nutshell
The study looked at the safety and effectiveness of combining different chemotherapy drugs followed by stem-cell transplant for the treatment of unresponsive acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Researchers found that this method was safe and effective in the patients studied.
Some background
Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow which affects the immune system. It is often treated by deleting the abnormal cells with chemotherapy drugs (myeloablation) and replacing them with donor stem cells. It is important to research the safety and effectiveness of this method.
Methods & findings
24 patients with AML unresponsive to treatment were included in the study. Chemotherapy with Cladribine (Leustatin) and cytarabine (Cytosar-U) was given for 5 days and mitoxantrone (Novantrone) was given for 3 days. This is known as the CLAM regimen. Patients then received busulfan (Myleran) for 4 days and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) for 2 days to delete abnormal cells. Donor stem cell therapy was then given to all patients.
At the time of transplantation, 62.5% of patients had some abnormal cells in their blood. 29.8% of patients had symptoms of AML that returned within 2 years. 74.5% of patients survived overall after 1 year and 56.5% at 2 years. 62.5% of patients survived without signs of leukemia at 1 year and 50.5% at 2 years.
The bottom line
The study concluded that combination chemotherapy with the CLAM regimen before stem cell transplant was safe and effective in the treatment of AML.
The fine print
This was a phase 2 clinical trial, with a small sample size and did not follow patients up for a long period. Larger and longer studies are required for more accurate results.
What’s next?
Talk to your doctor about using chemotherapy before stem cell transplant for AML.
Published By :
Annals of Hematology
Date :
Aug 04, 2018
