[METHODS] The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer ( EORTC ) and Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell ' Adulto ( GIMEMA ) Leukemia Groups conducted a randomized trial ( AML-12 ; Combination Chemotherapy , Stem Cell Transplant and Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia ) in 1,942 newly diagnosed patients with AML , age 15 to 60 years , comparing remission induction treatment containing daunorubicin , etoposide , and either standard-dose ( SD ) cytarabine ( 100 mg/m ( 2 ) per day by continuous infusion for 10 days ) or high-dose ( HD ) cytarabine ( 3,000 mg/m ( 2 ) every 12 hours by 3-hour infusion on days 1 , 3 , 5 , and 7 ) .