Chemotherapy and immunotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia

Eighty-six consecutive untreated adults with acute myelogenous leukemia were treated with a combination of Adriamycin, vincristine, prednisolone, Cytosine Arabinoside, and BCG. Complete remission was achieved in 39 (45%) patients; these patients were then allocated on an alternate basis to receive BCG and monthly chemotherapy with or without weekly irradiated allogeneic blast cells. The median duration of remission was eight months and was the same for both groups. The median survival of those achieving complete remission was 19 months compared with two months for those not achieving complete remission. Nine patients are still alive without relapse and five of these patients have been disease free for more than three years.