Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023467 (acute myeloid leukemia)
 35,200 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Acute hypergranular promyelocytic leukemia (AML M3) belongs to malignant diseases leading very rapidly to death. Immediate treatment based on early diagnosis may cure one third of patients. The typical finding in peripheral blood of patients is pancytopenia with or without atypical promyelocytes. In published studies only 15-25% patients exhibit leukocyte counts above 10 x 10(9)/l. Five of our ten patients studied had leukocyte count above 10 x 10(9)/l. The difference might be in connection with late and slow diagnosis of AML M3. AML is not taken into consideration during medical examination even if the disease occurs in medical family. Thus we describe clinical signs of AML M3 that could be divided into three main groups: bleeding, infections and anemia. In patients with bleeding or anemia or with infections repeating within a short period or with an infection and concurrent signs of bleeding or anemia the complete blood cell count should be examined immediately. If blood cell count abnormalities are found the patient should be sent immediately to hematology unit for further examination and treatment. Early diagnosis enables to start "differentiation therapy" with all-trans retinoic acid that could be administered as monotherapy only in patients with leukocytes below 5 x 10(9)/l. Early diagnosis of AML M3 might ameliorate the fate of patients, since four of our five patients referred to us with elevated leukocyte counts expired in the first five days.
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PMID:[Late and slow diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemias--the main cause of early death]. 781 84

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a distinct form of acute myelogenous leukemia characterized by an abundant number of abnormal progranulocytes, a severe coagulopathy and a distinct chromosomal abnormality t(15;17). Recently all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been shown to induce complete remissions in APL. We report three patients with APL treated with ATRA, who at the time of relapse had leukemic infiltration of the skin (leukemia cutis), a manifestation which we had not seen previously in over 60 patients with APL treated with chemotherapy alone and has only rarely been reported in the literature. We hypothesize that ATRA treatment for APL may be associated with an increased incidence of extramedullary disease at the time of relapse, which may be mediated through an increase in expression of adhesion molecules. Careful observation for extramedullary relapses in patients treated with ATRA for APL will be needed to confirm our observation.
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PMID:Leukemia cutis in acute promyelocytic leukemia: report of three cases after treatment with all-trans retinoic acid. 932 8

Because of interest in new approaches to treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), we analyzed APL treatment outcome in SWOG with chemotherapy from 1982-1991. To evaluate effects of change in nonspecific patient care factors over time we evaluated outcome in two temporal groups (1982-1986, 1986-1991), corresponding to two groups of treatment protocols encompassing all new de novo AML patients entered on acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) protocols during those years. Surprisingly, APL patients in the 1982-1986 group (n = 45) had much better treatment outcome (complete remission (CR) rate 71%, median overall survival (OS) 106 months, median disease-free survival (DFS) > 105 months) than the later group (n = 96) (CR rate 47%, median OS 13 months, median DFS 28 months) (p = 0.0063, 0.0015, and 0.0001 respectively). All APL patients but two in the 1982-1986 time period were treated on SWOG protocol 8124, which included induction with total daunorubicin (DNR) 210 mg/m2 i.v./course, consolidation with two courses with identical dosage of DNR, and intensification at 4 months including another course of identical dosage DNR. We analyzed factors affecting treatment outcome for all patients with APL treated from 1982 to 1991. In multivariate analysis, higher DNR induction dose was significantly associated with CR rate, OS, and DFS (p < 0.001, < 0.0001, and < 0.0001, respectively). Cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C) dose and inclusion of other agents did not correlate significantly with outcome. Because these studies were not randomized for DNR dosage, other factors contributing to outcome cannot be completely excluded, although none were found. Most deaths occurred within 3 months of initiation of therapy on 8124; there were no relapses with higher DNR dosage after 3 years. This excellent outcome should be considered in evaluating newer modalities of therapy such as all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for APL. If the high CR induction rate and minimal early deaths with ATRA therapy can be combined successfully with this chemotherapy, most patients with APL may be curable.
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PMID:Treatment outcome with chemotherapy in acute promyelocytic leukemia: the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) experience. 781 35

Scanty information is available on acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in children, and whether differences are present with respect to the adult form. The experience of the Italian Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Group (AIEOP) will be presented with respect to the following aspects: 1. Incidence of APL. The incidence of APL is generally considered to account for 3-9% of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in children and approximately 10-15% in adults. Recently a single Italian pediatric institution reported that APL constituted one third of observed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (AnLL) cases. Data from the AIEOP cooperative study group have confirmed that APL in Italy is more frequently observed in children as compared to other countries. Environmental and/or genetic factors should be considered to explain such differences. 2. Diagnosis of M3v. The clinical and biological features of the largest series of childhood M3v will be presented and the problems encountered in the proper separation of 'classic' M3 and M3v in children will be discussed. 3. Clinical Aspects. The clinical features of the APL patients enrolled in the AIEOP study groups since 1989, will be presented with emphasis on the recent experience with the use of all-trans retinoic acid. 4. Analysis of PML/RAR alpha Fusion Transcripts. An RT-PCR analysis of 32 pediatric APL cases from cryopreserved bone marrow samples has been performed. It is concluded that APL in children did not differ significantly from the adult form, with the exception of a higher incidence of PML bcr3 breakpoint.
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PMID:Acute promyelocytic leukemia in children: experience of the Italian Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Group (AIEOP). 781 42

Several phase II clinical studies of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) have been conducted in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), an uncommon subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). ATRA has been shown to induce complete remission (CR) in 64% to 96% of patients with APL, and with rapid resolution of the coagulopathy, which is a major cause of early morbidity and mortality. Although CRs induced with ATRA alone are usually not sustained and intensive antileukemic consolidation therapy is required to prolong remission, these findings indicate that a new approach of differentiation therapy is effective in treating patients with APL and may potentially be effective in other malignancies. The presence of the PML/retinoic acid receptor-alpha (PML/RAR-alpha) fusion gene, produced as a result of the unique chromosomal translocation in APL, is a marker of sensitivity to ATRA. Aside from the complications of hyperleukocytosis and the retinoic acid syndrome, ATRA therapy is generally well tolerated. An international study (Intergroup 0129), headed by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, is currently under way to determine further the role of ATRA in the treatment of patients with APL. Given its success in APL, studies of ATRA in other hematologic malignancies are also being conducted. A better understanding of how retinoids modulate carcinogenesis will help determine if the results in APL can be realized in other malignancies treated with ATRA or other retinoids.
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PMID:All-trans-retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia and its potential in other hematologic malignancies. 783 84

Analysis of a variant translocation t(11;17) in a case of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) led to discovery of a novel zinc finger gene, PLZF, fused to the retinoic acid receptor-alpha (RAR alpha) gene. We reviewed the clinical and molecular features of five additional patients with t(11;17)-associated APL. The clinical course of three patients was characterized by early death and three experienced disseminated intravascular coagulation. Morphologically all of the patients fell in a unusual morphologic spectrum of APL, with features intermediate between M2 and M3 AML. All six patients had PLZF-RAR alpha gene fusion as detected by reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction assay, Southern blotting, or pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Five of the six patients failed to achieve complete remission after initial chemotherapy or differentiation therapy with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). A sixth patient responded to initial chemotherapy, but on relapse failed to respond to ATRA. When tested in vitro, cultured cells from three of the patients failed to differentiate in response to ATRA. APL associated with t(11;17) and fusion of the PLZF and RAR alpha genes is a discrete clinico-pathologic syndrome with a distinctly worse prognosis than t(15;17) APL.
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PMID:Clinical and molecular characterization of a rare syndrome of acute promyelocytic leukemia associated with translocation (11;17). 784 96

Molecularly defined specific chromosomal translocation in leukemia allows detection of minimal residual leukemia cells by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). However, the positivity of the specific fusion transcripts in chronic myelogenous leukemia and acute myelogenous leukemia with t(8;21) is reportedly not directly correlated with the predictability of relapse. We analyzed seven patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in hematological remission for PML-retinoic acid receptor alpha (PML-RAR alpha) fusion transcripts by RT-PCR with the sensitivity level of one APL cell in 10(5) bone marrow mononuclear cells. Two of the four patients with chemotherapy-induced remission had detectable PML-RAR alpha only before treatment. In the other two patients with chemotherapy-induced remission, the PML-RAR alpha was detectable when their remission was first confirmed and became negative after consolidation chemotherapy. Two patients were resistant to chemotherapy and achieved remission by all-trans-retinoic acid; PML-RAR alpha was detectable in them for a few months during consolidation chemotherapy. Two patients whose PML-RAR alpha had become continuously positive had relapse 2 and 8 months later, but the other five patients with continuously negative or only transiently positive PML-RAR alpha remained in remission during follow-up for 11 to 35 months. These findings suggest the relevance of detectable PML-RAR alpha by RT-PCR to the predictability of relapse in acute promyelocytic leukemia.
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PMID:PML-RAR alpha fusion transcripts by RNA PCR in acute promyelocytic leukemia in remission and its correlation with clinical outcome. 785 39

We conducted a multicenter trial of treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in the AML-92 study and compared it with our previous study with standard intensive chemotherapy, the AML-89 study, in the view of complete remission (CR) rate, incidence of early death, and event-free survival (EFS). Patients were scheduled to receive oral ATRA 45 mg/m2 daily until CR. If patients had leukocyte counts above 3 x 10(9)/L at the start of therapy, they received daunorubicine (DNR) 40 mg/m2 for 3 days and behenoyl cytosine arabinoside (BHAC) 200 mg/m2 for 5 days in addition to ATRA. During the ATRA therapy, if patients showed myeloblast plus promyelocyte counts higher than 1 x 10(9)/L in the peripheral blood, they received additional DNR and BHAC in the same schedule, as well. A total of 110 patients were entered into the study. Median age was 43 years (range, 16 to 74). Twenty-eight (26%) of 109 patients (one died before the start of therapy) received ATRA alone. Ninety-seven patients (89%) achieved CR; 48 of 49 (98%) aged less than 40 years, 44 of 52 (84%) aged between 40 and 69, and 5 of 8 (63%) aged above 70 achieved CR, respectively; 25 of 28 (89%) with ATRA alone, 46 of 51 (90%) with ATRA plus initial chemotherapy and 26 of 30 (87%) with ATRA plus later chemotherapy attained CR, respectively. Nine (8%) patients died within 28 days after the start of therapy. In contrast, 44 of 62 patients (71%) attained CR, and 13 (21%) died within 28 days in the AML-89 study with the combination of DNR, BHAC, 6-mercaptopurine and prednisolone. Seven developed retinoic acid syndrome and one died of it in the present study. Other toxicities associated with this drug included cheilitis, desquamation, muscle pain, and hypertriglyceridemia. Predicted 23 months EFS for all ATRA-treated patients and disease-free survival (DFS) in the CR cases were 75% and 81%, respectively, in a median follow-up period of 21 months. Compared to the AML-89 study, there was a highly significant difference in remission rate (P = .004), EFS (P = .0007), and also early mortality rate (P = .02). Present results demonstrated that ATRA with or without chemotherapy gives a statistical improvement in CR rate and early mortality rate, as well as superior survival in newly diagnosed APL.
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PMID:All-trans retinoic acid for the treatment of newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia. Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group. 763 76

Spontaneous and all-trans-retinoic acid (RA)-induced differentiation of normal human monocytes and of leukemic THP-1 monocytes into macrophages resulted in a progressive loss of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate production induced by histamine via typical H2 receptors (H2R). In THP-1 cells and in HL-60 human acute myelocytic leukemia cells, RA treatment increased the abundance of the 4.5-kb messenger RNA of the H2R gene fourfold, suggesting transcriptional control by a RA response element. Scatchard plots of [3H]tiotidine binding indicated the expression of H2R with similar affinity and binding capacity in THP-1 monocytes and macrophages, while the conversion of normal monocytes into macrophages decreased H2R density from 91.8 to 43.1 fmol/mg protein, with no change in affinity (Kd = 9.9 to 11.2 nM). In THP-1 macrophages, histamine inhibited 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced H2O2 formation via the activation of H2 receptors. Expression of the H2R gene, histamine accumulation, and histidine decarboxylase activity were also demonstrated in normal human monocytes/macrophages and peripheral lymphocytes. Histamine and H2R may therefore affect, via intracrine, autocrine, and paracrine pathways, various immune and inflammatory responses of the lymphoid and myeloid progenitors and lineages in the bone marrow and peripheral tissues.
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PMID:Histamine H2 receptors and histidine decarboxylase in normal and leukemic human monocytes and macrophages. 791 87

All-trans retinoic acid (RA) has proven a major advance in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). However, the proper management of patients who present with or develop leukocytosis during remission induction with all-trans RA is not established, nor is there a clear relation between leukocytosis and the development of the retinoic acid syndrome. We reviewed the course of our patients who underwent induction with all-trans RA to identify potential factors that might predict for the development of this syndrome and to identify which patients, if any, might specifically benefit from additional treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Seventy-eight courses of all-trans RA therapy were administered to patients with a molecular diagnosis of APL. Initial and peak leukocyte counts, their rate of rise, leukocyte count criteria developed in Europe, and cell surface marker expression were all analyzed relative to subsequent development of both the RA syndrome as well as all causes of early mortality. The outcome of patients who received specific treatment for retinoid-induced leukocytosis was also examined. No factor was found to consistently predict for the development of the RA syndrome. Although the occurrence of the syndrome was positively associated with the peak value of the peripheral blood leukocyte count (P = .001), neither the initial leukocyte count nor the rate of rise in leukocyte counts on days preceding onset of the syndrome were sufficiently well-correlated to be clinically useful (P = .21). The leukocyte count criteria developed in Europe had a sensitivity of 62%, a specificity of 69%, and a positive predictive value that ranged from only 44% to 72%. However, we unexpectedly found that basal expression of CD13 (aminopeptidase N), a cell surface enzyme previously linked to tumor cell invasion and an inferior outcome in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, was highly associated with both development of the syndrome (P < .05) as well as an elevated leukocyte count (P = .006). Neither low-dose chemotherapy nor leukapheresis prevented development of the syndrome nor ameliorated its effects. In fact, 9 of 11 patients who received these interventions sustained fatal or near-fatal events, most of which were due to hemorrhage. However, early treatment with a short-course of high-dose corticosteroids halted progression of the syndrome in most cases. Finally, we found that expression of the type "A" isoform of PML/RAR-alpha (also known as bcr3 or "short") was associated with a significantly shorter duration of relapse-free and overall survival (P = .005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Early mortality and the retinoic acid syndrome in acute promyelocytic leukemia: impact of leukocytosis, low-dose chemotherapy, PMN/RAR-alpha isoform, and CD13 expression in patients treated with all-trans retinoic acid. 794 41


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