TREATMENT OF PROLYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA WITH CLADRIBINE

Prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder t hat takes a rapidly progressive course and where therapeutic intervent ions are often unsuccessful. In this context, the new purine analogs m ay be a promising option. We report two cases of PLL treated with clad ribine. The first patient had been resistant to polychemotherapy (COP) but responded well to two courses of 2-CdA. He achieved a partial rem ission, which he maintained for 15 months. The second patient had very advanced disease but obtained a partial response after three courses of 2-CdA, given as a first-line therapy in an ambulatory setting. Thes e results, as well others reported in the literature, permit us to con sider 2-CdA as a highly promising therapeutic option for PLL.