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Haematological cancer

The rule of three in AML induction—is cladribine the answer?

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology volume 9, pages 376–377 (2012)Cite this article

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In a randomized phase III trial of induction therapy in adult acute myeloid leukaemia, the addition of cladribine, but not fludarabine, to daunorubicin and cytarabine seemed to improve complete response rates and overall survival. However, serious methodological problems make it difficult to estimate the actual clinical importance of the result.

Key Points

  • Patients who receive standard induction chemotherapy for adult acute myeloid leukaemia should have a bone marrow biopsy performed 7–10 days after completion of chemotherapy to document hypoplasia

  • If residual leukaemia is present, additional treatment is recommended

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, D5-310, PO Box 19024, Seattle, 98109-1024, WA, USA

    Frederick R. Appelbaum

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  1. Frederick R. Appelbaum
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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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Appelbaum, F. The rule of three in AML induction—is cladribine the answer?. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 9, 376–377 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2012.98

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