Dr Uwe Platzbecker talks to ecancer about the APOLLO trial.

The trial compared the efficacy of an all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO) regimen versus standard ATRA and chemotherapy (CHT) in high-risk acute promyelocytic leukaemia (HR-APL) patients.

Despite early termination due to slow recruitment and COVID-19, 131 patients were evaluated.

Results showed a higher 2-year event-free survival of 89% in the ATRA-ATO group versus 72% in the ATRA-CHT group, with similar early death rates and overall survival rates.

These findings suggest that the ATRA-ATO regimen with initial idarubicin doses could become the new standard of care for high-risk acute promyelocytic leukaemia patients.