title: Prevention of chemotherapy-induced leukemia and of leukemia relapses.
abstract: Fifty percent of patients with the myelodysplastic syndrome, frequently following treatment by radiation or chemotherapy, have prognostically unfavorable deletions of the long arms of chromosomes 5 and 7, or trisomy 8, as have the 25% of patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia where remissions last 6-12 months, and where relapse cannot be prevented. In contrast, patients with prognostically favorable cytogenetics (translocation 15; 17 or 8; 21 or inversion 16) maintenance chemotherapy may prevent relapses. Of chronic myelocytic leukemia patients, 85% can achieve hematological remission with interferon alpha, and 40% a partial cytogenetic remission, which probably delays relapse.
authors.affiliation: Adult Leukemia Research Program, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Freireich
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007938:Leukemia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000188:drug therapy; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007372:Interferons