Daunorubicin-Prednisone Treatment of Erythroleukemia

Erythroleukemia is considered a rare form of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia that is particularly resistant to chemotherapy. We have treated nine adults with erythroleukemia with daunorubicin, 1 mg/kg · day, and prednisone, 60 mg/day, for 5 days. Four (44%) complete remissions and three (33%) partial remissions were obtained. Median duration of remission was 6 months (range, 2 to 16 months). All patients who had received no prior therapy responded. Median duration of survival was 12 months (range, 4 to 27 months). We conclude that the combination of daunorubicin and prednisone may be especially useful in inducing remissions in erythroleukemia and that erythroleukemia is more responsive to chemotherapy than previously realized.