title: Treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia with intensive cyclical chemotherapy: a follow-up report.
abstract: We treated 109 patients with adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed by histochemical and immunologic techniques. Patients were excluded only for age greater than 50 years and Burkitt's leukemia. Treatment included a four-drug remission induction phase followed by alternating cycles of noncrossresistant chemotherapy and prolonged oral maintenance therapy. Eighty-eight percent of patients entered complete remission. With a median follow-up of 77 months (range, 48 to 111 months), 42% +/- 6% (SEM) of patients achieving remission are projected to remain disease-free at 5 years, and disease-free survival for all patients entered on study is 35% +/- 5%. Failure to achieve remission within the first 4 weeks of therapy and the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome are associated with a 100% risk of relapse. Remission patients with neither of these adverse features have a 48% +/- 6% probability of remaining in continuous remission for 5 years. Patients with T-cell phenotype have a favorable prognosis with 59% +/- 13% of patients achieving remission remaining disease-free compared with 31% +/- 7% of CALLA-positive patients. Intensive chemotherapy may produce prolonged disease-free survival in a sizable fraction of adults with ALL. Improved therapy is needed, especially for patients with adverse prognostic features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Linker
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Levitt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Forman
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ries
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000032:analysis; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D015260:Neprilysin; D009423:Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015260:Neprilysin