Arsenic trioxide: an ancient drug revived.

Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China. zhoujin1111@126.com

Chinese medical journal 2012 Oct

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To summarize the clinical applications of arsenic trioxide (ATO) in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), as well as non-APL malignancies and to discuss the mechanisms and adverse effects involved in ATO administration. The data in this article were collected from PubMed and CHKD database with relevant English and Chinese articles published from 1957 to 2011, with key words including acute promyelocytic leukemia, arsenic trioxide, treatment, and mechanism. Articles including any information about ATO in the treatment of APL were selected. APL is a rare subtype of acute myeloid leukemia, with dismal prognosis under treatment with traditional chemotherapy. ATO impressively increases the complete remission rate and prolongs survival of patients with APL, with only mild and transient adverse effects. The advances in the understanding of multiple mechanisms involved in ATO treatment will benefit more cancers in future. Deeper understanding of mechanisms involved in ATO treatment may provide rationales for future clinical applications in a number of human malignancies.