Etoposide in Acute Leukemias

The role of etoposide in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) is controversial (1–4). From the earliest investigations, it has been clear that etoposide possesses antitumor activity against a wide variety of solid tumors, lymphomas, and leukemias (5). However, randomized comparisons of etoposide vs other agents in acute leukemias are relatively rare. Because of the undesired leukemogenic potential of etoposide, it is particularly important to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from its use.