New combo therapy before transplant shows promise for tough leukemias

This study tested a new way to prepare people with hard-to-treat acute leukemia for a donor stem cell transplant. It combined a precise type of radiation (IMRT) with two chemotherapy drugs (etoposide and cytoxan) to kill cancer cells and help the body accept the donor cells. The goal was to find the safest radiation dose and see if this approach could improve outcomes. The trial included 51 patients with leukemia that had come back or was not responding to standard treatment.