title: Treatment results in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a modified ALL-BFM'90 protocol: lack of improvement in high-risk group.
abstract: We report results achieved in our institution with an acute lymphoblastic leukaemia risk-oriented treatment trial opened in January 1990 and closed on December 1995. The study was similar to the German ALL-BFM'90, except for using Protocol III for the standard-risk group, 2 g/m2 of methotrexate in Protocol M, and preventive cranial irradiation for the high-risk group only. The high-risk group included mostly patients with prednisone poor initial response and/or adverse cytogenetic features. This analysis included 374 patients, whose mean age was 6 years (range: 1 month-17 years). The overall complete remission rate was 94.4% (353/374) and the 5-year event-free survival (standard error) probability is 64(5)%. The 5-year event-free survival estimates for each risk group were: (1) high-risk group 37(5)%; (2) intermediate-risk group 66(1)%; and (3) standard-risk group 74(4)% (P = 0.0001). There are significantly higher-rates of isolated bone marrow and testicular relapses in the high-risk subset of patients. Our dismal results and the published experience, lead us to conclude that the optimal treatment for these high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients is not currently known.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hospital de Pediatría Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sackmann-Muriel
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Felice
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zubizarreta
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alfaro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallego
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cygler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016371:Cranial Irradiation; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D012307:Risk Factors