Mitoxantrone and etoposide with or without intermediate dose cytarabine for the treatment of primary induction failure or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia.

Mitoxantrone and etoposide (ME) salvage regimens have been successfully used for the treatment of primary induction failure or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Whether the addition of intermediate dose cytarabine to ME increases complete remissions is unknown. To date, these regimens have not been directly compared. Herein, we report the response to treatment with a fixed dosing schedule of ME or MEC in 65 patients treated for primary refractory or relapsed AML with intermediate or unfavorable risk cytogenetics. Differences in CR between ME and MEC subsets were analyzed to determine the effect of cytarabine to ME.