Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) represents a medical emergency with a high rate of early mortality. As a consequence, as soon as the diagnosis is suspected based upon cytologic criteria, it is necessary to start all- trans retinoic acid (ATRA) treatment without delay. For patients with newly diagnosed APL, induction therapy with ATRA plus anthracycline based chemotherapy is recommended. At p...

All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) has significantly improved the treatment results in acute promyelocytic leukemia (M3). In non-M3 acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the effects are less clear, and there is a pronounced heterogeneity in the sensitivity to the growth-inhibitory effects of retinoids in leukemic cells from different non-M3 AML patients. Retinoids exert their effects through a number of nu...

Arsenic trioxide has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 5000 years, but lost its appeal due to its toxicity. It was rediscovered in western medicine and enjoyed a renaissance from 1830 to 1930, as the first effective chemotherapy against syphilis, parasites and leukaemia. These years were also a time of political turmoil in China. The Nanking treaty (29 August 1842) turned Hong ...