Clinical study of rubidazone (22 050 R.P.), a new daunorubicin-derived compound, in 170 patients with acute leukemias and other malignancies.

Rubidazone was used as sole chemotherapy in 170 adults and children with acute leukemia and sarcoma. When rubidazone was employed to treat the first attack, complete remission was achieved in : 1) 40 out of 70 patients (57%) with AML; 2) two out of six patients with AML where previous chemotherapy had failed; 3) four out of five patients with ALL; 4) 12 out of 14 patients with acute monoblastic leukemia. When used to treat relapse, rubidazone produced complete remission in : 1) 14 out of 31 cases of AML; 2) 18 out of 39 cases of ALL; 3) 2 out of 3 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Treatment of a case of rhabdomyosarcoma was unsuccessful. In the treatment of acute myeloblastic and monoblastic leukemias, it may be concluded that rubidazone induces a higher rate of complete remission than any other previously reported drug which was used alone. It also achieves remission rates similar to those resulting from a combination of daunorubicin and Ara-C. Furthermore, when compared with daunorubicin, rubidazone allows better control of the induction of aplasia.