title: Intermediate-dose methotrexate in the treatment of childhood acute lymphocytic leukaemia: lack of benefit during maintenance therapy following intensive induction therapy.
abstract: One hundred and fifty-one children with acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) received multiple agent induction chemotherapy followed by intensive phase treatment. One hundred and thirty-seven patients were randomised for the first year of maintenance treatment to receive reinforcement therapy (pulses) with either intermediate-dose methotrexate (ID-MTX) and prednisone (PRED) or vincristine (VCR) and PRED. The probability of continuous complete remission (CCR) at 5.5 years is 0.80 for the ID-MTX group and 0.84 for the VCR group. Extramedullary relapses were not prevented either in the ID-MTX group nor in the VCR group. Since in previous studies VCR/PRED pulses did not increase CCR rates when given after intensive combination chemotherapy, it can be concluded from this study that neither did ID-MTX reinforcement therapy further improve treatment results in our patients with ALL when given after aggressive chemotherapy.
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D011897:Random Allocation; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014750:Vincristine; D011241:Prednisone; D008727:Methotrexate