decitabine + cytarabine

Decitabine + cytarabine is a combination of two chemotherapeutic agents used primarily in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including refractory or relapsed cases and in elderly patients. Decitabine is a pyrimidine nucleoside analogue that acts as a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, leading to hypomethylation of DNA and reactivation of silenced genes, which can induce differentiation or apoptosis in malignant cells. Cytarabine (also known as ara-C) is an antimetabolite that inhibits DNA synthesis by incorporating into DNA during replication, resulting in cell death. The combination has shown additive or synergistic effects on inducing cell death in leukemia models and clinical studies suggest improved response rates compared to monotherapy[1][2][4][7]. This regimen may be used with other agents such as aclarubicin and G-CSF for specific protocols.