Abstract
A combination chemotherapy program for the treatment of adult acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) was devised on the basis of theoretical considerations and experimental evidence that a combination of cell cycle‐nonspecific and cell cycle‐specific agents should be used for induction therapy. The drugs, cyclophosphamide, cytosine arabinoside, and methotrexate, were given as once‐weekly pulses until marrow hypoplasia or remission was attained. Complete marrow remissions were achieved in 7 out of 14 patients with AML and 5 out of 8 patients with ALL. Toxicity from the combination was tolerable, although occasionally severe. The induction program compares favorably with other induction regimens in adult acute leukemia, but the short remissions underscore the need for the design of new approaches to improve maintenance therapy.