Can we improve outcomes in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia? Incorporating HDAC inhibitors into front-line therapy

There is a need for improvements on the results of current therapies for patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). A number of strategies are being used to achieve this goal. Here we present data that indicate that the addition of a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, such as vorinostat, to idarubicin and cytarabine results in a very high response rate and can be safely administered to patients with leukemia. These results form the bases of the next SWOG front-line trial in AML. Here, we present the rationale for such combination and the studies that led to the support of this concept including both in vitro models and initial phase 1 trials.