Long-term survival of children with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia.
Results of a pilot protocol employing chemoimmunotherapy for treatment of 23 children with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia consecutively diagnosed between 1975 and 1979 are reported. Twenty-two children achieved remission, ten of whom are surviving 6.5-9.5 years after completion of primary systemic therapy (median 7.8 years). Treatment consisted of intermittent courses of Daunomycin, Cytosine Arabinoside, 6-Thioguanine, VP-16, with or without Decadron, Connaught BCG applied between courses of chemotherapy for the first 8 months of treatment, and cranial irradiation/intrathecal Cytosine Arabinoside in early first remission. Five patients with leukemic cells in spinal fluid at diagnosis had myelomonoblastic or monoblastic subtypes and a median diagnostic white blood cell count (WBC) of 149,000/mm3 compared with a median WBC of 12,000/mm3 for the other 18 patients (P = .007).
Division of Oncology/Hematology, Children's Hospital, Denver, CO 80218.
L F
LF
Odom
H
H
Morse
D G
DG
Tubergen
M
M
Blake
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012074:Remission Induction; D013997:Time Factors
D001500:BCG Vaccine