Intravenous and oral demethoxydaunorubicin (NSC 256-439) in the treatment of acute leukemia and lymphoma: a pilot study.

Demethoxydaunorubicin (DMDR), a new anthracycline available both for intravenous and oral administration, was given in 14 cases of leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma (MM) replacing either daunorubicin (DNR) or doxorubicin (DOX) in conventional chemotherapy regimes. In acute leukaemia (6 myeloblastic and 1 common lymphoblastic) there were 5 complete (CR) and 2 partial (PR) remissions; one patient, previously brought into remission with a regime including i.v. DMDR was thereafter maintained in CR with oral DMDR. Among the patients treated with the oral DMDR, 2 NHL cases were treated; 1 patient had a sustained remission of 12 months so far, with DMDR alone; another patient had a CR with a combined regime. In MM, one patient with very advanced disease treated with i.v. DMDR/CHOP did not respond, but three cases treated with oral DMDR plus other drugs showed a partial remission. Toxic effects were limited to brief episodes of nausea and vomiting in a few i.v. treated patients; a prolonged bone marrow depression was observed in one case only. No cardiotoxic effect was recorded.