homoharringtonine and Hematologic-Diseases

The therapeutic response of chronic myelogenous leukemia in myeloid blast crisis (CML-MBC) is very poor.. To explore the therapeutic effect of homoharringtonine (HHT) combined with cytarabine (HA regimen) on CML-MBC and its influence on bone marrow CD34+CD7+ cells.. Thirty-four patients with CML-MBC were treated with the HA regimen and bone marrow CD34+CD7+ cells were assayed prior to and after treatment. Among 33 evaluable patients, the overall hematological response (complete/ partial hematological response and hematological improvement) was 60.1%. Seven patients (21.2%) had a cytogenetic response 12 months after treatment. In the untreated CMLMBC patients, the proportion of bone marrow CD34+CD7+ cells was much higher than in the control group (19.4 ± 7.9 vs. 4.4 ± 1.5%, p < 0.05) and decreased to 14.1 ± 7.1% (p < 0.05) after treatment. Before treatment, the proportion of CD34+CD7+ cells was lower in the patients who had a hematological response to the HA regimen than in the patients who did not respond.. The HA regimen is an effective treatment for CML-MBC and CD34+CD7+ cells may be one of the valuable clinical parameters to assess treatment effectiveness.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Antigens, CD34; Antigens, CD7; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Blast Crisis; Bone Marrow; Cell Count; Consolidation Chemotherapy; Cytarabine; Daunorubicin; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Harringtonines; Hematologic Diseases; Homoharringtonine; Humans; Immunophenotyping; Leukemia, Myeloid, Accelerated Phase; Male; Middle Aged; Mitoxantrone; Myeloid Cells; Neoplastic Stem Cells; Remission Induction; Young Adult

Eighteen patients entered this study of the efficacy of homoharringtonine (HHT) treatment in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Seventeen eligible patients received at least one day of the first 5-day cycle of HHT (4.0 mg/m2/day) by continuous IV infusion. Cycles were scheduled to repeat every 28 days. The major severe toxicities encountered were hypotension and myelosuppression. There was one drug-related death. Fourteen patients were evaluable for response, and no patient exhibited an objective response to treatment with HHT.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Alkaloids; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Drug Evaluation; Female; Harringtonines; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Hematologic Diseases; Homoharringtonine; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Male; Middle Aged