[Low-dose cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C) in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia].

Eleven patients over 70 years of age and two patients under 60 years of age with myeloblastic leukemia have been treated with low doses of cytarabine (10 mg per m2 every 12 hours by subcutaneous injection for a median duration of 3 weeks). Four patients of the first group went into complete remission, 2 patients in the older age group and the 2 patients under 60 years of age went into partial remission, while only 3 patients out of 13 (23%) did not respond to this treatment. Sometimes severe cytopenia observed during the induction phase counterbalanced the advantages of treatment (simplicity and absence of systemic toxicity) and suggest an antimitotic effect which is probably associated with differentiation of the malignant clone.