Reduction of hospitalization and transfusion support in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia treated with arsenic trioxide plus all-trans retinoic acid compared to chemotherapy plus all-trans retinoic acid

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a variant of AML characterized by t (15; 17). The discovery of the molecular pathogenesis has led to the first targeted therapy for acute leukemia: all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). ATRA is usually associated to anthracycline-based chemotherapy obtaining high response rates, but some potential longterm sequelae are described [1]. The introduction of arsenic trioxide (ATO)[2] and ATRA was compared to standard chemotherapy in a pivotal trial with excellent results both in terms of complete