Management of infection in patients with acute leukemia during chemotherapy in Japan: questionnaire analysis by the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group.

Guidelines for the management of febrile neutropenia (FN), deep fungal infection or use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) published in the US and Europe cannot be directly applied in other countries. In this study, we undertook a questionnaire survey of member institutions of the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group to investigate the status of, and problems with, the management of infectious complications in patients with acute leukemia. The questionnaire consisted of 52 multiple-choice questions covering therapeutic environment, antibacterial, and antifungal prophylaxis, empirical therapy (ET) for FN, and use of G-CSF.

Clinical efficacy of all-trans retinoic acid for treating adult T cell leukemia.

Purpose: We previously reported that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) inhibited growth in human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)-positive T-cell lines and in fresh cells from patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL). Here, we confirmed the clinical effects of ATRA in 20 patients with ATL.

Materials And Methods: The 20 patients (n = 20) with a median age of 56 (range 35-73) years who were diagnosed with ATL received ATRA orally.