Abstract
Seventy-five courses of high-dose cytosine arabinoside therapy (HD-CA) were administered to 36 children with leukemia or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Dose schedule of CA included 3 g/m2 in one, 2 g/m2 in 70, and 1.5 g/m2 in 4 courses. Adverse reactions related to the HD-CA included transient and reversible marrow suppression (100%), vomiting (96%), drug-induced fever (51%), dermatitis (35%), conjunctivitis (21%), stomatitis (16%), diarrhea (13%), liver dysfunction (13%), meningeal irritation (4%), pulmonary toxicity (4%), anaphylactoid reaction (3%), cerebellar dysfunction (3%), and vasculitis (1%). However, no course was interrupted due to side effects. Evaluation of anticancer efficacy of the HD-CA regimen was not the primary target of this study, but four of the eight patients, who could not be induced into complete remission (CR) by alternate regimens, obtained CR after the HD-CA. The HD-CA appeared to be administered safely in children with leukemia or NHL.
