Conditions: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Keywords: acute myeloid leukemia, cytarabine, arsenic trioxide.
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 67
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The primary objective of this study is to determine whether low-dose cytarabine in combination with arsenic trioxide is more effective than low-dose cytarabine alone in achieving complete remission in elderly patients (≥60 years of age) with acute myeloid leukemia.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Cycle 1 cytarabine 10 mg/m\^2 was administered subcutaneously (sc) twice daily (bid) on days 1-14. 0.25 mg/kg arsenic trioxide was administered intravenously (iv) on days 1-5 and days 8-12. Cycle 2 A second identical cycle of cytarabine and arsenic trioxide was given to patients with persistent disease. Patients who achieved complete remission (CR), complete remission with incomplete platelet count recovery (CRp), or partial remission (PR) after 1 or 2 cycles received a 14-day consolidation cycle of cytarabine and arsenic trioxide with the doses and schedule identical to the initial cycle. A recovery period of up to 4 weeks between the attainment of CR, CRp, or PR and the initiation of consolidation treatment was allowed. Patients who completed consolidation treatment started maintenance treatment of arsenic trioxide 0.25 mg/kg iv on days 1 and 4 and cytarabine 10 mg/m\^2 sc bid on days 1 through 7 of a 28-day cycle. arm 2: Cytarabine was administered at a dose of 10 mg/m\^2 sc bid from days 1-14 of cycle 1. A second identical cycle of cytarabine was given to patients with persistent disease. Patients who achieved a complete remission (CR), complete remission with incomplete platelet count recovery (CRp), or partial remission (PR) after 1 or 2 cycles received a 14-day consolidation cycle of cytarabine with the doses and schedule identical to the initial treatment cycle. Recovery period up to 4 weeks between the attainment of CR, CRp, or PR and the initiation of consolidation treatment was allowed. Patients who completed consolidation treatment started maintenance treatment of cytarabine at 10 mg/m\^2 sc bid on days 1-7 of a 28-day cycle. Patients started maintenance treatment within 42 days after platelet count recovery. Maintenance treatment continued for 2 years or until unacceptable toxicity or disease progression.

Interventions: intervention 1: Arsenic trioxide intervention 2: Low-dose cytarabine alone
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Arsenic trioxide will be administered intravenously (iv) at a dose of 0.25 mg/kg. intervention 2: Cytarabine will be administered at a dose of 10 mg/m\^2 subcutaneously (sc) twice a day (bid).

Protocol document: