5-azacytidine and arabinosyl adenine for the treatment of acute leukemia

The combination of 5-azacytidine and arabinosyl cytosine was used as secondary treatment for patients with acute leukemia. Only five of 39 evaluable patients achieved a complete remission, although 15 patients showed some response to this therapy. The median duration of complete remission was only 3 3 4 months. Major toxicity included myelosuppression, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The results of this study were no better than those obtained previously with 5-azacytidine alone.