[A study of mitoxantrone with other chemical agents in treating 126 cases of adult acute myeloid leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of mitoxantrone with other chemical agents in treating adult acute myeloid leukemia. METHODS: 126 inpatients diagnosed as acute myeloid leukemia between January 1993 to December 1997 were treated with mitoxantrone with other chemical agents. 85 had not been treated previously, (untreated) while 51 were relapsing or resistant to previous treatment. RESULTS: The complete response rate among untreated and the relapsing/resistant groups were 44.7% and 27.5%; while the partial response rate were 20.0%, 9.8% respectively. 4 patients were in the untreated group died early. The main side-effect of mitoxantrone is bone marrow depression which led to fever and bleeding with rates of 40.4%, 24.3%. The non-bone marrow side-effects were tolerable. Damage to the liver was a prominent occurrence 31.8%. CONCLUSION: mitoxantrone was effective as the first line anti-tumor drug with other chemical agents in treating adult acute myeloid leukemia, its side-effects were mild.