Experience with combinations containing mitoxantrone in the treatment of adult acute leukemias

Abstract

Thirty cases of acute leukemia in patients over 15 years of age (18 males and 12 females) were treated with combinations containing mitoxantrone between January 1986 and August 1987 at the Kuwait Cancer Control Center. Acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL) cases received mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2/day, days 1-3, cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) 100 mg/m2 continuous daily infusion, days 1-5, and 6-thioguanine 100 mg/m2/day, days 1-5. Cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) received mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2/day, days 1-3, vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 days 1, 8, 15 and 22 and prednisone 40 mg/m2/day, days 1-22, then tapered down over one week. There were 16 cases of newly diagnosed ANLL, 9 cases of newly diagnosed ALL and 5 cases of relapsing leukemias. The 30 patients received 59 courses of therapy. The main toxicity was pancytopenia which occurred following all courses. It started following 75% of courses on day 8, lasted between 8-10 days and then rapidly recovered. In cases of ALL, the platelet count was much less affected in subsequent courses. Nausea and vomiting was a minor problem and occurred following 19% of courses, and in the majority was mild. Mucositis occurred following 30% of courses, and was mainly of moderate degree starting one week following the start of the course, and lasted about one week. Alopecia in the 25 newly diagnosed cases occurred in 18 cases (9 partial and 9 complete).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)