Acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)is a distinct type of acute leukemia. At present,all-trans retinoic acid(ATRA)-arsenic is the first-line treatment in APL patients. This paper reviews those articles published in the intational mainstream medical joals in the past five years about the current situation and progress of ATRA-arsenic in APL treatment including case individual report,case series study and clinical controlled study,which provide references for the subsequent research of ATRA-arsenic in APL treatment in China.