Arsenic Drug Helps Treat Rare Cancer [WSJ]
By JENNIFER CORBETT DOOREN
January 25, 2007; Page D6
WASHINGTON -- The National Institutes of Health said that adding an arsenic compound made by Cephalon Inc. to other treatments for adults with a rare form of leukemia significantly improved survival.
The results of the study, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, were so good that an independent data-monitoring board recommended the results be released early so doctors could consider adding the drug as part of early treatment for the disease.
The study looks at patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia, which is diagnosed in about 1,500 people each year. The study's results showed that adults with previously untreated acute promyelocytic leukemia, or APL, who had standard chemotherapy to induce remission of their disease and then received injectable chemotherapy drug arsenic trioxide to maintain remission lived longer than those who received only standard chemotherapy.
Arsenic trioxide is sold under the brand name Trisenox by Cephalon, Frazer, Pa. The drug is currently FDA approved to treat patients with APL but only after previous treatment with other drugs has failed.
The National Cancer Institute said standard chemotherapy regimens produce complete remission rates of about 70% among patients with APL, meaning the leukemia isn't detectable after initial treatment. APL typically carries a five-year survival rate in about 35% to 45% of patients.
The study involved 582 patients who were enrolled between June 1999 and March 2005. Patients were divided into groups, some of whom received standard treatment and others who also received arsenic trioxide.
The study showed the percentage of adult patients who remained alive and in remission, or free of relapse of their leukemia, three years after diagnosis was 77% on the treatment arm that included arsenic trioxide compared with 59% of patients who received standard treatment.
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