Acridinyl anisidide (m-AMSA) therapy in 11 patients with refractory acute leukemia.

Eleven patients with acute leukemia, refractory to all previous chemotherapy, were treated with acridinyl anisidide (m-AMSA). Seven patients received m-AMSA i.v. as a single agent at 150 mg/m2 daily for 4 to 7 days, and 4 patients received m-AMSA at 90 mg/m2 daily for 3 days in combination with thioguanine and cytosine arabinoside. Four of the nine patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia responded to the treatment, and complete remission was obtained in three of them. One of these patients remained in complete remission 5 months after therapy. Three of the four responding patients received m-AMSA as a single agent. Two patients with resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia did not respond. As in earlier trials with m-AMSA reported by others, about one-third of our refractory patients responded, which justifies the future use of this agent in refractory leukemia and in other regimens for the induction of remission in acute leukemia. Despite minimal cardiotoxicity of the drug, evidence of its cardiotoxic potential is recorded.