Treatment of patients with refractory myelogenous leukemia with BCOMM[1,3-bis-chloro(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), oncovin (vincristine), cyclophosphamide, high-dose methotrexate and methyl-glyoxal bis-guanylhydrazone (MGBG)].

Ten patients with AML refractory to anthracyclines and cytosine arabinoside were treated with vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 and methotrexate (MTX) 2.5 gm/m2 by intravenous (IV) bolus on day 1 [citrovorum factor (CF) rescue began 24 h later], BCNU 80 mg/m2, and cyclophosphamide 900 mg/m2 IV 36 h after MTX and MGBG 300 mg/m2 IV over 1-2 h on days 3, 4, and 5. Bone marrow aplasia was achieved in all patients by day 12. Five patients (50%) achieved complete remission (CR). Two patients died of sepsis during induction. The median duration of remission was 24 weeks (range 8-38). Maintenance therapy was employed in three patients (high-dose MTX-CF in 2 and MGBG plus BCNU in 1), but did not appear to significantly increase the duration of remission. Nausea and vomiting occurred in eight patients. Five patients developed moderate stomatitis and one developed a moderately severe cutaneous reaction. This pilot experience demonstrates that patients with refractory AML can achieve CR after aggressive treatment with so-called second-line drugs. and may indicate that collateral sensitivity to MTX exists in cells which have become resistant to anthracyclines, a situation we previously described in an experimental cell line.