European journal of haematology
July 13, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Feasibility and Safety of Venetoclax for Cytoreduction During Induction Therapy in Newly Diagnosed Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia.
Wang Y, Xiao R, Huang X, Xiao Y.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Venetoclax used for cytoreduction during induction in new APL was associated with faster hematologic recovery without a clear rise in differentiation syndrome.
What was studied
Single-center retrospective study of 29 newly diagnosed APL patients on ATRA plus arsenic trioxide, comparing venetoclax cytoreduction (n=16) with hydroxyurea with or without anthracycline (n=13).
Key findings
- Day 28 hematologic complete recovery was 93.75% versus 46.15% (p=0.003).
- Median time to hematologic recovery was 26 versus 28 days.
- Median time to molecular remission was 92 versus 110 days.
- Differentiation syndrome incidence did not differ significantly, and transfusions and hospital stay were lower with venetoclax.
Clinical relevance
Hematologists managing APL with high counts may take note of a possible alternative cytoreduction strategy under study.
Who should care
Limitations
It is a small, retrospective, single-center study where treatment choice was by clinician decision, so confounding is likely.
This is exploratory, and prospective validation is needed before it could change practice.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of venetoclax as a cytoreductive strategy during induction therapy in newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), and to provide an exploratory description of its early efficacy.
Methods
This was a single-center retrospective analysis including 29 patients newly diagnosed with APL between January 2023 and December 2025. All patients received induction therapy with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) plus arsenic trioxide (ATO) and were treated with different cytoreduction strategies based on clinical decision-making: venetoclax group (n = 16) or conventional cytoreduction group (hydroxyurea ± anthracycline, n = 13).
Results
The proportion of hematologic complete recovery (HCR) at Day 28 was significantly higher in the venetoclax group than in the conventional group (93.75% vs. 46.15%, p = 0.003). The median time to HCR was shorter in the venetoclax group (26 vs. 28 days, p = 0.002). The median time to molecular complete remission (MCR) was also shorter (92 vs. 110 days, p = 0.001). In addition, the venetoclax group required significantly fewer red blood cell and platelet transfusions and had a shorter duration of hospitalization. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of differentiation syndrome (DS) between the two groups.
Conclusion
Venetoclax appears to be a feasible and safe cytoreductive option during induction therapy in APL and may be associated with faster hematologic recovery. These findings require further validation in prospective studies.
DOI
10.1111/ejh.70264
PMID
42442416
PMCID
PMC13643619
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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