Twelve cases of leukemia, comprising 6 relapsed cases and another 6 cases refractory to the conventional chemotherapy, were treated with a combination of intermediate-dose cytosine arabinoside (ID Ara-C) and mitoxantrone (MXT). The cases included 8 of AML, 2 of ALL, and 1 each of myeloid crisis of CML and leukemic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The schedule was composed of 1 or 2 h infusion of Ara-C in a dose of 700 mg/m2 every 12 h for 5 days in combination with mitoxantrone, 10 mg/body, for 4 days. Of the 12 cases all evaluable, 7 (58.3%) achieved complete remission. The median duration of complete remission was 5 months. Non-hematologic side effects observed were predominantly gastrointestinal, as represented by nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. No central nervous system toxicity or cardiac damage was observed. These preliminary findings suggest that the regimen (ID Ara-C combined with MXT) can be useful not only for induction of complete remission in refractory leukemia but also as a consolidation therapy for CR cases.
