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BMJ Case Reports 2009; doi:10.1136/bcr.01.2009.1449
  • Novel treatment (new drug/intervention; established drug/procedure in new situation)

Complete remission of a relapsing adult T cell leukaemia following treatment of a secondary acute promyelocytic leukaemia: towards a reappraisal of arsenic trioxide and all-transretinoic acid?

  1. Marie-Olivia Chandesris1,
  2. David Ghez1,
  3. Caroline Besson2,
  4. Felipe Suarez1,
  5. Richard Delarue1,
  6. Marie-Thérèse Rubio1,
  7. Ali Bazarbachi3,
  8. Bruno Varet1,
  9. Olivier Hermine1
  1. 1
    Hôpital Necker, Enfants Malades, Service d’Hématologie, 149, Rue de Sèvres, Paris, 75743 Cedex 15, France
  2. 2
    Hôpital Bicêtre, Service d’Hématologie et Immunologie, 78 Rue du Général Leclerc, Le Kremlin Bicêtre Cedex, 94275, France
  3. 3
    American University of Beirut, Department of Internal Medicine, PO Box 113-6044, Beirut, 113-6044, Lebanon
  1. Marie-Olivia Chandesris, olivia.chandesris{at}nck.aphp.fr
  • Published 10 August 2009

Summary

Despite improvements in therapeutic options, human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-related adult T cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL) has a dismal prognosis. The present report concerns the case of a multirelapsing ATLL that reached a complete remission following the treatment of a secondary acute promyelocytic leukaemia with cytarabine, anthracyclin, all-transretinoic acid and arsenic trioxide. This unexpected result with a multitreated/chemorefractory disease led us to reconsider the potential therapeutic benefits of arsenic trioxide, which has demonstrated efficacy against ATLL cells.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Patient consent: Patient/guardian consent was obtained for publication.

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