Other news for: Hematologic Diseases Tendon Injuries Leukemia Neoplasms Drug Therapy Resources from HONselect Higher Chemo Drug Dose Prolongs Lives of Leukemia Patients Side effects similar to those seen with standard dose of daunorubicin, study shows By Robert Preidt THURSDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A high dose of the chemotherapy drug daunorubicin prolonged survival for patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML), preliminary results of a study sponsored by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) show. AML is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. This study included 633 patients, aged 16 to 60, who were randomly assigned to receive either high-dose or standard-dose daunorubicin. Both doses were given in combination with another chemotherapy drug called ara-C (cytarabine). The patients in the high-dose group received 90 milligrams of daunorubicin per square meter of body surface area (90 mg/m2) on each of the first three days of treatment. The standard dose is 45 mg/m2. Patients in the high-dose group had a median overall survival of 23.7 months, compared to 15.1 months for those in the standard-dose group. Both groups had similar frequencies of serious treatment-related toxicity, according to the study, conducted by a network of researchers led by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). "The findings of this large clinical trial are important, because they will likely change practice and improve the outcome for many patients with AML," Dr. Martin Tallman, chairman of the ECOG leukemia committee and a professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chicago, said in an NCI news release. Daunorubicin is already FDA-approved for treatment of AML, which means that patients with the disease may gain immediate benefit from the findings. More than 13,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with AML in 2008. Most cases occur in adults, and about half occur in those younger than 60. Only about one-third of AML patients survive the disease, and the odds of survival decrease with age. More information The American Cancer Society has more about acute myeloid leukemia . SOURCE: U.S. National Cancer Institute, news release, Nov. 17, 2008 Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC . All rights reserved.URL:http://www.healthscout.com/template.asp?id=621481 Resources from HONselect: HONselect is the HON's medical search engine. It retrieves scientific articles, images, conferences and web sites on the selected subject. The list of medical terms above are retrieved automatically from the article. Disclaimer: The text presented on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is for your information only and may not represent your true individual medical situation. Do not hesitate to consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns. Do not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting a qualified healthcare professional. Be advised that HealthDay articles are derived from various sources and may not reflect your own country regulations. The Health On the Net Foundation does not endorse opinions, products, or services that may appear in HealthDay articles.

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