Video

What are the main drug classes used in treating AML?

Posted by
HealthTree Logo HealthTree
• February 3, 2022

Description

Learn about the main drug classes being used in AML treatment in this HealthTree University lesson by a cancer specialist.

On this video

Healthtree contact Eunice Wang, MD

Eunice Wang, MD

Hematologist Oncologist, Chief of the Leukemia Service, Medical Director, Infusion Services, Professor of Oncology, Assistant Member, Tumor Immunology Program…

Transcript

What are the main drug classes used in treating AML? So typically we use 7 plus 3, which is intensive chemotherapy for AML, and that is generally a drug called citerabine, plus a second drug, usually what we call an anthracycline drug, and that drug is usually idorubicin or donorubicin. 7 plus 3 regimen does require people to be in the hospital for at least 4 to 5 weeks and it destroys all of the blood counts. It has high response rates, but increasingly we're finding that that's not necessarily the best regimen. We have a new liposomal formulation of that that works better in certain subtypes, and we've developed low dose chemotherapies that we use for pre-leukemic state. We've been integrating those, like the azacycidine drug and the decidabine drug for our patients that are less fit and less able to tolerate.