Assessment of arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid for the treatment pediatric acute promyeolocytic leukemia

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide therapy without the use of maintenance therapy has been found to be beneficial for the treatment of adults with standard-risk acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). However, it is unclear whether similar regimens are safe and beneficial for the treatment of pediatric APL patients. The Children’s Oncology Group AAML1331 study found that pediatric patients with newly diagnosed APL could be safely treated with ATRA and arsenic trioxide while either eliminating (standard risk APL) or substantially reducing (high-risk APL) the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy.