Behenoyl cytosine arabinoside, daunorubicin, 6-mercaptopurine, and prednisolone combination therapy for acute myelogenous leukemia in adults and prognostic factors related to remission duration and survival length.

Fifty-one consecutive previously untreated adult patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) were treated with BHAC-DMP (N4-behenoyl-I-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-cytosine, daunorubicin, 6-mercaptopurine, and prednisolone) therapy. Forty-two patients (82.4%) achieved complete remission (CR). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a probability for remaining in remission of 14% and for survival of 23% at 6 years. Pretreatment factors related to the achievement of CR, such as age, French-American-British (FAB) classification and WBC at the start of treatment, were not identified. Factors related to the CR duration and survival time of the patients who had achieved CR were first analyzed by a univariate analysis with the generalized Wilcoxon test. WBC count at the start of treatment, percent of blasts in the marrow at 1 and 2 weeks after the initiation of therapy, days required until CR, number of courses of induction therapy required until CR, and days required for the disappearance of circulating blasts were identified as statistically significant prognostic factors. When these characteristics were further analyzed by the Cox multivariate regression model, the percent of blasts in the bone marrow at 2 weeks was the most important prognostic factor with a statistical significance, and WBC count at the start of treatment and days required until CR (or number of courses required to achieve CR) were also important factors, with borderline significance.