Relapse rate after cessation of therapy in childhood leukemia. A follow-up report on 277 cases from the five Nordic countries.
Two hundred and seventy-seven children from the Nordic countries who had their antileukemic therapy stopped before January 1979 were surveyed. The children were in remission when therapy was discontinued. So far 64 (23.1%) have relapsed. Central nervous system (CNS) and testicular leukemia have been a problem, but CNS-prophylaxis has been in common use in the Nordic countries only since 1972-1973. Most of the patients relapsed during the first year after stopping therapy, whereas no patient relapsed later than 4 years after cessation of therapy.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D013997:Time Factors