Prophylactic heparin therapy in acute promyelocytic leukemia

✍ Scribed by Robert L. Drapkin; Timothy S. Gee; Monroe D. Dowling; Zalmen Arlin; Susan McKenzie; Sanford Kempin; Bayard Clarkson

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 424 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(197806)41:6<2484::aid-cncr2820410659>3.0.co;2-#

✦ Synopsis

Twenty-four patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia were reviewed. Group I, treated between July 1970 and September 1973, received arabinosylcytosine and 6-thioguanine, and there was one complete remission, with 4 7 dying during induction with intracerebral hemorrhages, and 217 dying within one month. Group 11, treated between May 1974 and March 1975, received daunomycin and arabinosylcytosine without heparin and 218 went into remission, with 618 dying during induction, 5 with intracerebral hemorrhages. Group 111, treated between March 1975 and November 1976, received the identical chemotherapy as group I1 but with the addition of prophylactic heparin and there were 719 complete remissions, with 219 dying with intracerebral hemorrhages. In Group I11 there was an increased incidence of remission induction when compared to Group I1 (p < .05) or when compared to Groups I and I1 combined (p < .05). There was also a decreased incidence of fatal hemorrhage in Group 111. This suggests that prophylactic heparin is useful during remission induction in acute promyelocytic leukemia.