New study indicates arsenic could be suitable as first-line treatment in type of...( ing the current optimum treatment of ch...)

"There have been a few studies done using arsenic trioxide on a limited number of newly diagnosed patients, but we are the first group to suggest that it is acceptable as a first-line treatment," said Dr. Ghavamzadeh. "The results are comparable to ATRA with chemotherapy and in our study it has actually proved to be better than ATRA with chemotherapy. What this means is that we now have the possibility of offering APL patients a new first-line treatment that avoids conventional chemotherapy. It also means that if we have this drug and other effective drugs such as ATRA available as well, most patients will be able to avoid the need for bone marrow transplants." Arsenic compounds have been used in medicine for thousands of years, dating back to the ancient Chinese and the Romans, but it was the Chinese in the 1980s that first tried it in leukaemia after finding it was the active ingredient in some traditional Chinese preparations.

The drug works by causing changes in cancer cells, inducing apoptosis programmed cell death. It also appears to correct the gene responsible for making a flawed protein (the PMLRAR fusion protein) that causes APL.

The research team used RT-PCR2 techniques to confirm the diagnosis of APL by identifying the rogue gene in their study patients. This further enabled them to establish a new classification for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Part of the disease process in APL is due to a translocation involving chromosomes 15 and 17. Their results from the RT-PCR analysis suggested that AML should be reclassified by dividing it into two groups APL with t(15-17) and t(15,17) negative AML. t(15-17) negative AML would then be sub-divided in line with the World Health Organization's histologic classification system. The researchers believe that this would make sense
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Contact: Margaret Willson
m.willson@mwcommunications.org.uk
41-227-612-205
European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer
29-Sep-2004