Iron chelation therapy with deferasirox induced complete remission in a patient with chemotherapy-resistant acute monocytic leukemia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

A patient with chemotherapy-resistant acute monocytic leukemia who achieved complete remission (CR) after iron chelation therapy (ICT) with deferasirox is reported for the first time. A 73-year-old Japanese man with acute monocytic leukemia who was refractory to conventional remission induction chemotherapies achieved a partial response, with some improvement of his hemoglobin level and white blood cell count after gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) treatment. Seven months after GO treatment, the disease relapsed and the patient developed pancytopenia. He declined further chemotherapy, and started receiving 1,200-1,800 ml of packed red blood cell transfusion per month together with ICT with deferasirox (baseline serum ferritin level was 1,412 ng/ml). Twelve months after the initiation of deferasirox, the patient's serum ferritin level decreased to below 1,000 ng/ml and deferasirox was discontinued. Four months after discontinuation of deferasirox, the blood cell count normalized and the patient became transfusion-independent. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy revealed hematological and cytogenetic CR.

CONCLUSION:

CR was achieved after ICT with deferasirox in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia, suggesting that deferasirox may have an antileukemic effect in the clinical setting.

• Authors: Toshihiro Fukushima, Hiroshi Kawabata, Takuji Nakamura, Haruka Iwao, Akio Nakajima, Miyuki Miki, Tomoyuki Sakai, Toshioki Sawaki, Yoshimasa Fujita, Masao Tanaka, Yasufumi Masaki, Yuko Hirose, Hisanori Umehara
• Journal: Anticancer research (Anticancer Res) Vol. 31 Issue 5 Pg. 1741-4 (May 2011) ISSN: 1791-7530 [Electronic] Greece
• PMID: 21617233 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Aminoglycosides
• Antibodies, Monoclonal
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Antineoplastic Agents
• Benzoates
• Iron Chelating Agents
• Triazoles
• Gemtuzumab
• Deferasirox

Topics

• Aged
• Aminoglycosides (adverse effects)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal (adverse effects)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Antineoplastic Agents (adverse effects)
• Benzoates (therapeutic use)
• Chelation Therapy
• Deferasirox
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm (drug effects)
• Erythrocyte Transfusion
• Gemtuzumab
• Humans
• Iron Chelating Agents (therapeutic use)
• Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute (drug therapy)
• Male
• Remission Induction
• Salvage Therapy
• Treatment Outcome
• Triazoles (therapeutic use)