Pharmacologically directed design of leukemia therapy.

Abstract

The ability to accumulate and retain the active metabolite of Ara-C varies widely among patients. Our studies demonstrate a significant correlation between clinical response and the pharmacokinetics of Ara-CTP in leukemia cells during therapy. Knowledge of the cellular pharmacology of Ara-CTP has been used to optimize dose rates and to design combination treatment schedules. An understanding of the cellular pharmacodynamics of other drugs is likely to be a useful parameter for planning treatment protocols.