Aclarubicin in the treatment of multiple myeloma

Fourteen patients with multiple myeloma received aclarubicin (ACR) intravenous drip infusion at a dose of 15-25 mg/m2/day for 7 days every 3 weeks. Nine of the patients achieved more than a 25% reduction in M-protein. In two of the nine the reduction was more than 50% and the duration of their responses was 2.0 and 2.8 months, respectively. In the nine cases of previous combination chemotherapy-resistant multiple myeloma, five showed more than a 25% reduction and one of them showed more than a 50% reduction in M-protein. One of the two patients with tumors achieved a marked regression of the tumor mass and two of the 14 patients showed marked improvement in subjective symptoms. Hematological toxicity, anorexia, nausea and vomiting occurred frequently. However, no cardiac toxicity obviously attributable to ACR was detected, and alopecia was generally mild. Thus, the above results indicate that ACR may be useful in combination chemotherapy for multiple myeloma because of its effectiveness and relatively low dose-limiting factors.