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Failure of Cytarabine in Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Failure of Cytarabine in Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Associated with Human... BackgroundProgressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy affects about 4 percent of patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and survival after the diagnosis of leukoencephalopathy averages only about three months. There have been anecdotal reports of improvement but no controlled trials of therapy with antiretroviral treatment plus intravenous or intrathecal cytarabine.MethodsIn this multicenter trial, 57 patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and biopsy-confirmed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments: antiretroviral therapy alone, antiretroviral therapy plus intravenous cytarabine, or antiretroviral therapy plus intrathecal cytarabine. After a lead-in period of 1 to 2 weeks, active treatment was given for 24 weeks. For most patients, antiretroviral therapy consisted of zidovudine plus either didanosine or stavudine.ResultsAt the time of the last analysis, 14 patients in each treatment group had died, and there were no significant differences in survival among the three groups (P = 0.85 by the log-rank test). The median survival times (11, 8, and 15 weeks) were similar to those in previous studies. Only seven patients completed the 24 weeks of treatment. Anemia and thrombocytopenia were more frequent in patients who received antiretroviral therapy in combination with intravenous cytarabine than in the other groups.ConclusionsCytarabine administered either intravenously or intrathecally does not improve the prognosis of HIV-infected patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy who are treated with the antiretroviral agents we used, nor does high-dose antiretroviral therapy alone appear to improve survival over that reported in untreated patients. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The New England Journal of Medicine The New England Journal of Medicine

Failure of Cytarabine in Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

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References (31)

Publisher
The New England Journal of Medicine
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.
ISSN
0028-4793
eISSN
1533-4406
DOI
10.1056/NEJM199805073381903
pmid
9571254
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

BackgroundProgressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy affects about 4 percent of patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and survival after the diagnosis of leukoencephalopathy averages only about three months. There have been anecdotal reports of improvement but no controlled trials of therapy with antiretroviral treatment plus intravenous or intrathecal cytarabine.MethodsIn this multicenter trial, 57 patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and biopsy-confirmed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments: antiretroviral therapy alone, antiretroviral therapy plus intravenous cytarabine, or antiretroviral therapy plus intrathecal cytarabine. After a lead-in period of 1 to 2 weeks, active treatment was given for 24 weeks. For most patients, antiretroviral therapy consisted of zidovudine plus either didanosine or stavudine.ResultsAt the time of the last analysis, 14 patients in each treatment group had died, and there were no significant differences in survival among the three groups (P = 0.85 by the log-rank test). The median survival times (11, 8, and 15 weeks) were similar to those in previous studies. Only seven patients completed the 24 weeks of treatment. Anemia and thrombocytopenia were more frequent in patients who received antiretroviral therapy in combination with intravenous cytarabine than in the other groups.ConclusionsCytarabine administered either intravenously or intrathecally does not improve the prognosis of HIV-infected patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy who are treated with the antiretroviral agents we used, nor does high-dose antiretroviral therapy alone appear to improve survival over that reported in untreated patients.

Journal

The New England Journal of Medicine – The New England Journal of Medicine

Published: May 7, 1998

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