Background: There are very limited data reported about the role of cytarabine (Ara-C) in childhood acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). We review the clinical course and treatment outcome of APL and explore the role of standard-dose Ara-C for children.
Procedure: Between January 1999 and December 2008, 36 children (<14 y) with newly diagnosed APL were included.
Results: The overall complete remission rate was 97.2% (35/36). Two patients were lost to follow-up after induction. Two groups of patients were identified according to different consolidation chemotherapy regimens. Seventeen patients were given polychemotherapy in combination with standard-dose Ara-C (group I), 16 patients were given daunorubicin alone (group II). Although the 5-year estimate of disease-free survival between groups I and II had no statistically significant difference (P = 0.614), there was a 12% higher disease-free survival rate for group I.
Conclusion: Standard-dose Ara-C might play some role in the consolidation treatment of children suffering from APL.