A 15-year-old girl comes to the physician for a follow-up evaluation. She has multiple erythematous pustules and nodules over her face, for which she has received erythromycin and topical benzoyl peroxide. She is concerned that the therapy is ineffective. The physician recommends a drug on the condition that the patient agrees to use oral contraceptives. The molecular structure of the drug most likely recommended by the physician closely resembles a drug used to treat which of the following conditions?

Question

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Eductional Objective: All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and isotretinoin are both retinoids. ATRA can be used in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia, the M3 variant of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). A t(15;17) translocation, which occurs in acute promyelocytic leukemia, changes the retinoic acid receptor so that granulocyte differentiation cannot occur under physiologic levels of retinoic acid. High doses of ATRA can induce remission by causing malignant cells to mature.

A 15-Year-Old Girl Comes to the Physician for a Follow-Up