Hydroxycarbamide (former British Approved Name, hydroxyurea) is often used to reduce the white count in newly diagnosed patients with CML prior to introduction of interferon alpha.
Maintenance therapy with hydroxyurea is possible in patients who cannot tolerate interferon.
Treatment does not eradicate the Ph-positive cell line.
According to the current European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines, hydroxyurea can no longer be recommended, except for short periods of time or therapeutic palliation (1).
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