[Treatment of acute leukemia with "MB-triple V" therapy--a comparative study of "MB-triple V" therapy and B-triple V therapy].

Eleven patients with acute leukemia were treated with MB-triple V therapy consisting of mitoxantrone, behenoyl-arabinoside, etoposide, vincristine and vindesine. In this regimen, the target points were set for WBC count in the peripheral blood (less than 1,500/microliters) and TNC count in the bone marrow (less than 15,000/microliters). In this study, we compared the WBC count in nadir state and the duration until WBC count returned to above 1,000/microliters between 11 patients with MB-triple V therapy and 15 patients with B-triple V therapy in which target points were not set. In particular, the standard distribution of WBC count in nadir state of MB-triple V group was significantly smaller than that of B-triple V group. The number of early deaths in the course of MB-triple V (0/11, 0%) decreased compared with B-triple V group (3/15, 20%). Seven patients of the eleven patients with this regimen achieved CR state (63.6%). Hereafter, further cases are necessary before this combination chemotherapy as a part of the induction therapy is evaluated.