Premium
Treatment of central nervous system leukemia with intrathecal cytosine arabinoside
Author(s) -
Band Pierre R.,
Holland James F.,
Bernard Jean,
Weil Marise,
Walker Michael,
Rall David
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197310)32:4<744::aid-cncr2820320402>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - medicine , central nervous system , cytosine , cytarabine , leukemia , headaches , toxicity , vomiting , intrathecal , methotrexate , pharmacology , acute lymphocytic leukemia , immunology , anesthesia , surgery , lymphoblastic leukemia , dna , genetics , biology
Tolerated and toxic doses of intrathecal and/or intraventricular cytosine arabinoside were studied in dogs and monkeys. Safe dose levels which produce no detectable side effects were established. Intrathecal administration of cytosine arabinoside to nine patients with acute leukemia with central nervous system involvement and to one patient with meningeal involvement secondary to lymphocytic lymphosarcoma resulted in prompt improvement of the clinical findings and regression of laboratory evidence of CNS leukemia. Toxicity consisted of headaches, vomiting and meningismus, perhaps attributable to unbuffered diluent. No hematologic toxicity was observed. Intrathecal Ara‐C was active in patients whose CNS disease had escaped from control by intrathecal methotrexate and irradiation. Intrathecal cytosine arabinoside represents an effective agent in the therapy of central nervous system leukemia and lymphosarcoma.