Institutional experience with clofarabine and cytarabine in relapsed pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.

Cytarabine (1000 mg/m(2)/d intravenous for 5d) and clofarabine (40 mg/m(2)/d intravenous for 5d) were given every 28 days to 9 children with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia at our institution. Among 19 courses, there were 18 infectious episodes. Median hospitalization time was 13 days (7.7 to 30.5d) per cycle. Hepatobiliary abnormalities included alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase elevation and hyperbilirubinemia. Four patients achieved complete remission (one after an earlier allogeneic Haematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplant). Four patients are alive disease free. In summary, a proportion of children responded and was able to receive allogeneic Haematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplant. Side effects were tolerable, although hospitalization time was prolonged.