Case report: alternation therapy with antileukemic agents and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for RAEB in transformation.

Under the assumption that in some patients with refractory anemia with excess of blasts (RAEB), the abnormal clones might be less responsive to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor than normal clones, the authors tried alternation therapy with a recombinant form of this factor (rhG-CSF) and antileukemic agents in the treatment of two patients with RAEB in transformation. After repetition of the short-cycled alternation therapy, the hematologic findings of both patients were completely normalized and have remained so without any adverse side effects under the continuation of this therapy for more than 5 months. Judging from our clinical experience, the alternation therapy may be a new efficient therapeutic strategy for RAEB and some types of slowly progressive leukemia.