Effect of early splenectomy and cyclic acute leukemia-like chemotherapy on the course of chronic myeloid leukemia.

This report provides information on the progress of two trials by the Italian Cooperative Study on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Both trials were designed in order to test the effect of early splenectomy and of cyclic administration of either arabinosyl cytosine and vincristine plus prednisone, or arabinosyl cytosine plus thioguanine plus daunomycin, on the course of CML and on the survival. A preliminary analysis, performed on September, 1977, suggests that neither splenectomy nor the chemotherapy scheduled have resulted in a significant decrease of the rate of blastic transformation of CML, during the first 2 to 3 years from diagnosis.