Effects of different remission induction regimens on acute promydocytic leukemia

Objective:To compare the outcome of two different remission induction therapies for patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL).Methods:Forty-eight patients with APL were randomly divided into group A and group B.Group A were treated with all-trans retinoic acid(ATRA) and low dose of homoharringtonine(LD-HHA),and group B ATRA combined with arsenic trioxide(ATO).Results:The complete remission(CR) rate was 88.0% in group A and 91.3% in group B.The average time to achieve CR in the two groups was(28.91.9)d and(27.82.1)d,respectively.There were no significant differences in the curative effect,early death rate or the incidence of differentiation syndrome between the two groups.Conclusions:The therapy of ATRA combined with LDHHA may achieve similar curative effect as that of ATRA combined with ATO,but has the advantage of lower medical cost.So it is worth popularizing especially in less developed areas.