Re: Apoptosis and Growth Inhibition in Malignant Lymphocytes After Treatment With Arsenic Trioxide at Clinically Achievable Concentrations

Abstract

Zhu et al. ( 1 ) indicated that “As ₂ O ₃ may prove useful in the treatment of malignant lymphoproliferative disorders” in general, and Kroemer and de Thé ( 2 ) concluded with the statement that “irrespective of the molecular details, it appears that arsenic constitutes a welcome addition to the clinician's armamentarium for the chemotherapy of leukemia.” Their major theme centers on the mechanism of arsenic trioxide in eradicating acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). This is a major cancer chemotherapeutic advance if proven correct. However, we believe that the use of arsenicals must be tempered by toxicologic realities ( 3 , 4 ).