2-Chlorodeoxyadenosine is a simple purine nucleoside that has previously been shown to be effective in the treatment of low-grade malignant disorders of lymphoid tissue, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Because of these encouraging results, we treated 12 patients with another low-grade B-cell neoplasm, hairy-cell leukemia. The patients received 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (0.1 mg per kilogram of body weight per day) by continuous infusion for seven days. All the patients responded to treatment. Eleven had complete remissions characterized by the normalization of peripheral blood and bone marrow and disappearance of tumor masses. The longest remission has been 3.8 years. None of the patients have relapsed, and the median duration of remission has been 15.5 months. No serious toxic reactions occurred as a result of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine therapy. These results suggest that 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine may be the most effective therapy available for hairy-cell leukemia. The administration of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine resulted in a higher rate of complete remission than is observed with interferon alfa, and it required no maintenance therapy. Its toxicity may be lower than that of deoxycoformycin, and the responses were achieved with single courses of treatment.
Hairy cell leukemia is a chronic B-cell disorder that follows an indolent, but progressive course. Cladribine (2-chlorodeoxyadenosine) induces complete remissions in the majority of patients after a single course. We report the long-term outcomes, including response rates and their duration; time-to-treatment failure (TTF) rates; retreatment results; toxicities; and survival rates of patients treated at Scripps Clinic (La Jolla, CA). A total of 358 patients with hairy cell leukemia were treated with cladribine at 0.087 or 0.1 mg/kg body weight per day by continuous intravenous infusion for 7 days. The expected number of second neoplasms was based on the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results data. Of 349 evaluable patients, 319 (91%) achieved an initial complete response and 22 (7%) a partial response with an overall median duration of response follow-up of 52 months. Ninety patients (26%) had relapsed at a median of 29 months. The TTF rate for all 341 responders was 19% at 48 months, 16% for complete responders, and 54% for partial responders. Of 53 evaluable patients treated with second courses of cladribine at first relapse, 33 (62%) achieved complete responses and 14 (26%) partial responses. Twenty-seven patients (8%) developed second neoplasms (only 1 hematopoietic) with an observed-to-expected ratio of 1.88 (95% confidence interval, 1.24 to 2.74). The overall survival rate was 96% at 48 months. Single courses of cladribine induced long-lasting complete responses in the vast majority of patients. Relapse rates for complete responders were low. Patients who relapse can be successfully retreated with cladribine. Cladribine has high efficacy and a favorable acute and long-term toxicity profile when administered to patients with hairy cell leukemia. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
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