Differentiation Therapy of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia with Tretinoin (All-trans-Retinoic Acid)

Abstract

Tretinoin is a safe and highly effective agent for inducing complete remission in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Clinical response to this agent is associated with leukemic-cell differentiation and is linked to the expression of an aberrant RAR-alpha nuclear receptor. Molecular detection of the aberrant receptor may serve as a useful marker for residual leukemia in patients with this disease.