Arsenic trioxide and acute promyelocytic leukemia: clinical and biological

Abstract

Arsenic has recently been identified as an effective drug in the treatment of newly diagnosed and relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia. Indeed, arsenic trioxide combined with all-trans retinoic acid shows a synergistic effect. Mechanistically, arsenic targets the key leukemogenic protein PML-RARalpha, setting up a new example of molecular target-based cancer therapy.