title: Reinforced HEAV'D therapy for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: improved results and revised prognostic criteria.
abstract: Thirty-six adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were treated with adriamycin, vincristine, prednisolone, and asparaginase for remission induction, followed by vincristine-adriamycin-cyclophosphamide consolidation courses, cranial irradiation, a short ara-C plus VM-26 pulse, and vincristine plus cyclophosphamide rotating weekly with ara-C plus VM-26 for three months (reinforced HEAV'D). Thirty-one patients achieved a complete remission (86 per cent). Compared with historical results from a prior study, age > 30 years, absolute blast count > 15 x 10(9)/l, and CD10-negative immunophenotype were not associated with higher relapse rate and shorter survival, suggesting a positive effect from intensification therapy with ara-C and VM-26 in these poor prognostic categories. However, patients with an abnormal karyotypic pattern or a positive molecular study for BCR-ABL rearrangement detecting t(9;22) had a far greater likelihood of treatment failure (probability of remission at 3 years 0.10) than those with normal karyotype or negative molecular study (probability 0.70), and those not studied or with insufficient methaphases (probability 0.50) (p < 0.05 by log-rank test). These results underline the prognostic importance of chromosomal abnormalities and the usefulness of ara-C and VM-26 in the management of adult ALL.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Ematologia, Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bassan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Battista
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montaldi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rambaldi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Emilio
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Viero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borleri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buelli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dini
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barbui
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate