Pentostatin and 2-Chlorodeoxyadenosine for Hairy-Cell Leukemia

Pentostatin (2'-deoxycoformycin; DCF; - Parke-Davis), a purine analog, was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of hairy-cell leukemia resistant to interferon alfa (Intron A; Roferon-A). is a rare (500 cases/year in the USA) form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Acutely ill patients may respond rapidly to interferon, but the drug is rarely curative. Another purine analog, 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (CdA; Leustatin - Ortho Biotech), may also be approved soon for treatment of hairy-cell leukemia (JD Piro, Blood, 79:843, 1992). Fludarabine (Fludara -Medical Letter, 33:89, 1991), a third purine analog, is approved for treatment of refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. All three drugs are investigational for use in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas....

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