Treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia has significantly improved with the introduction of target specific agents all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO) with long term survival a reality for the majority of patients. This can serve as a paradigm for cancer therapy where with the introduction of more potent target-specific drugs our reliance on the traditional cytotoxic agents is likely to diminish and less toxic and more effective regimens are likely to replace the current intensive chemotherapy regimens.