Maintenance of remission in adult acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia using intermittent courses of cytosine arabinoside (NSC-63878) and 6-thioguanine (NSC-752).

Twenty adults (median age, 58 yrs) with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia who had achieved complete remission were given maintenance therapy with monthly courses of cytosine arabinoside and 6-thioguanine, each in a dose of 100 mg/m2 every 12 hours for ten doses. The toxicity was minimal with no severe infections, bleeding, or treatment-related deaths. The treatment was often administered on an outpatient basis. The predicted life-table median remission duration is 14 months with 11 patients still in remission from 3+ to 29+ months.