Ara-C syndrome during low-dose continuous infusion therapy.

Four patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia developed one or more components of the "ara-C syndrome" including fever, peritonitis, pericarditis, and a maculopapular rash during therapy with continuous infusions of low-dose (20 mg/m2/d) cytosine arabinoside (ara-C). These complications, described with standard and high doses of ara-C, have not been previously noted with low-dose regimens.