[Low dose continuous infusion therapy with etoposide (VP-16) and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) for a patient with refractory acute myelogenous leukemia].

A 36-year-old man with acute myelogenous leukemia, refractory to the combination chemotherapy, developed fungal infection and acute respiratory distress. Simultaneously, rapid proliferation of leukemic cells was observed in the blood. He was given continuous drip infusion of etoposide (50 mg/day) and Ara-C (20 mg/day) for 18 days. The leukemic cells disappeared from both the blood and the marrow, and complete remission was achieved. There was no adverse effect related to this therapy. The low dose combination chemotherapy with etoposide and Ara-C is safe to be carried out, and could be effective for the patients with refractory leukemia.