Arsenic trioxide improves survival in acute promyelocytic leukemia

Researchers have reported that adding arsenic trioxide to stand therapy significantly improves survival in adults with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), in a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, in Chicago today.

Standard treatment for APL involves three phases of treatment known as induction, consolidation and maintenance therapy.

In this multi-centre, Phase III study, patients received standard consolidation therapy plus two courses of arsenic trioxide therapy or standard consolidation therapy alone. At 3 years, event-free survival was significantly higher in the standard consolidation therapy plus arsenic trioxide arm (77%), compared with the standard consolidation therapy arm (59%).

Author’s conclusions ‘The addition of 2 courses of arsenic trioxide consolidation following remission induction significantly improves survival’