Efficacy and safety of Compound Huangdai Tablets combined with retinoic acid in treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia in maintenance phase

Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of Compound Huangdai Tablets combined with retinoic acid in treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)in maintenance phase. Methods Ninety APL patients were selected and randomly divided into control group and observation group, with 45 cases in each group. The control group was treated with sequential therapy of retinoic acid and arsenious acid, while the observation group was treated with sequential therapy of Compound Huangdai Tablets and retinoic acid. The therapeutic effect, metabolism levels of blood lipid indexes before and after treatment, and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results There were no significant differences in event-free survival rate, mortality and recurrence rate between the two groups(P>0.05). After treatment, the levels of total cholesterol(TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and triglyceride(TG)in both groups increased significantly(P<0.05), and the levels of TC, LDL-C and TG in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05). The incidence rates of adverse reactions such as gastrointestinal discomfort, retinoic acid syndrome, damage of liver and kidney function, increase of intracranial pressure, dizziness and headache and joint pain in the control group were significantly higher than those in the observation group(P<0.05). Conclusion Compared with therapy of arsenious acid combined with retinoic acid, the Compound Huangdai Tablets combined with retinoic acid has a better therapeutic effect in the treatment of patients with APL in maintenance phase, which can correct the abnormal metabolism of blood lipid indexes.