Low-Dose Cytarabine Plus G-CSF Induction in Pediatric M2 Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Multicenter Study.
Cancer MedOct 1, 2026
Wenxin Ou, Xiaohua Zhu, Jun Lu et al.
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In 30 seconds
This multicenter randomized controlled trial analyzed the efficacy and safety of low-dose chemotherapy (LDC) versus standard-dose chemotherapy (SDC) in 221 children with M2 acute myeloid leukemia. The study found no significant differences in complete remission rates or overall survival between LDC (81.2%) and SDC (86.9%), but LDC was associated with fewer severe adverse events and faster recovery of blood counts.
Key findings
- Complete remission rates after induction I were 67.0% for LDC vs 70.5% for SDC (p = 0.568).
- 3-year overall survival rates were 81.2% ± 3.9% for LDC vs 86.9% ± 3.3% for SDC (p = 0.304).
- Among patients with KIT mutations, 3-year overall survival was 67.1% ± 8.7% for LDC vs 91.5% ± 4.1% for SDC (p = 0.011).
- Grade 3-5 sepsis events were less frequent in the LDC arm (33.3%) compared to the SDC arm (78.8%, p < 0.001).
Why it matters
The findings suggest that low-dose chemotherapy may reduce treatment-related toxicity without compromising efficacy in pediatric patients with M2 acute myeloid leukemia, highlighting a potential strategy for safer induction therapy.