Intermediate-dose cytarabine as a safer consolidation strategy for acute myeloid leukemia

In Japan, multiagent chemotherapy comprising anthracycline and cytarabine is commonly used as post-remission consolidation therapy for acute myeloid leukemia. Meanwhile, intermediate-dose cytarabine (ID-AC) is typically utilized in Western countries. However, data comparing these two regimens are limited. The current study retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of multiagent chemotherapy and ID-AC as consolidation therapy in patients at our institution.

Seventy-one patients were included in the multiagent chemotherapy group and 46 in the ID-AC group.

Two-year overall survival rates did not differ significantly between the multiagent chemotherapy and ID-AC groups (56.0% vs. 69.2%; P = 0.169). Similarly, 2-year disease-free survival with data censored at the time of allogeneic stem cell transplantation did not significantly differ between groups (14.1% vs. 33.5%; P = 0.268). The ID-AC group had a significantly lower incidence of febrile neutropenia than the multiagent chemotherapy group. Further, the ID-AC group had a significantly shorter duration of neutropenia and length of hospital stay than the multiagent chemotherapy group.

ID-AC had comparable efficacy and a more favorable safety profile than multiagent chemotherapy as consolidation therapy for acute myeloid leukemia.