THE EFFECT OF ATRA,As_2O_3 PLUS CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS ON ACUTE PROMYELOCYTIC LEUKEMIA

Objective To observe the efficacy and side effects of combined therapy with all-trans retinoic acid(ATRA),arsenic trioxide(As2O3) and chemotherapeutics for newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL).Methods Seventy-two APL patients were treated with combined therapy of ARTA,As2O3 and chemotherapeuics,its efficacy and side effects were observed.Results Of the 72 patients treated,seven(9.7%) died early,47(72.3%) achieved complete remission(CR),16(24.6%) got partial remission(PR) and two(3.1%) with non-remission(NR).The total effective rate was 96.9%.The CR time(mean) was 20-48(30.8±6.3) days.For those who died,the number of leukocytes before treatment was significantly different from those who relieved(uc=18-63,P0.05).No severe side effects were observed except one who developed retinoic acid syndrome.Conclusion The effect of the combined therapy of APL is satisfactory with few side effects,but it has no obvious superiority in terms of the remission time,amount of component transfusion and expense.