Combined Cytosine-arabinoside plus interferon-alpha .2. Clinical-studies in leukemia and lymphoma.

Fourteen patients with relapsed refractory hematologic malignancies including 3 patients with AML, 7 with acute blastic CML and 4 patients with NHL were treated with a combination of cytosine arabinoside 100 mg/m2/day plus interferon alpha 2b 10 U/m2/day given by continuous infusion for 7-10 days. Therapy was based on in vitro synergy between the two drugs. Two patients with AML achieved CR. In addition 4/7 (57%) patients with blastic-CML and 1/4 (24%) with NHL achieved CR. Five patients achieved PR. The combination of cytosine arabinoside plus interferon appears to have significant clinical activity in these heavily pretreated patients. Treatment was well tolerated with the major toxicity being transient hematologic suppression.