Mitoxantrone plus cytarabine versus daunorubicin plus cytarabine as induction therapy for previously untreated adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mitoxantrone versus daunorubicin on the response rates of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Methodology: In this prospective randomized trial, adult patients with newly diagnosed AML received daunorubicin(45mg/m(2)/d for 3 days) or mitoxantrone (12mg/m(2)/d for 3 days), each combined with the identical dose of cytarabine(ara-c) (150mg/m(2)/d by continuous infusion for 7 days). Of 27 patients, 10 were randomly allocated to the mitoxantrone plus ara-c "MA" treatment arm and 17 to the daunorubicin plus ara-c "DA" treatment arm. Results: Median age of the patients in MA was 18 years and in DA was 25. Fifty percent of the MA achieved complete remission and 40% achieved a partial remission giving an overall response rate of %90. The same overall response rate was significantly lower in DA group (P=0.025). Conclusion: The combination of mitoxantrone and ara-c is a possible alternative to daunorubicin and ara-c combination for the treatment of AML.