title: Outcome after cessation of therapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The Associazione Italiana Ematologia ed Oncologia Pediatrica (AIEOP).
abstract: A total of 2192 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who had reached cessation of therapy in complete remission were followed for a median time of 52 months after treatment suspension. Of the 485 relapses observed, 62.3% occurred in the first year off therapy and 68.9% involved the bone marrow. Eight relapses were reported more than 5 years (62-143 months) after treatment withdrawal. Males fared worse than females consistently, experiencing 1.5 times more relapses (P < 0.0001). Thirteen patients died in continuous complete remission, 5 because of non-neoplastic central nervous system complications. There were 11 second solid malignancies, 8 of them in the central nervous system; 9 subjects presented an haematopoietic malignancy after ALL. The projected event-free survival at 8 years is 73%. Twenty-two of the 171 young adults (age > 20 years) were married and 16 have had 21 healthy children. Twenty-four per cent of patients experienced an unfavourable event. Relapses accounted for 93% of failures. Central nervous system late effects and second malignancies were the major causes of non-leukaemic morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ospedale Nuovo San Gerardo, Monza, MI, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jankovic
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fraschini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amici
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aricò
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arrighini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Basso
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colella
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: DiTullio
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haupt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Macchia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome