[Improved results in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with the ALL-BFM 90 protocol in the Czech Republic].
BACKGROUND
Prognosis of children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)--the most common cancer in childhood, has improved remarkably over the last 40 years. The authors report the treatment outcome in children with ALL cured according to ALL-BFM 90 Study protocol in the Czech Republic during the first half of nineties.


RESULTS
Children aged 0-18 years were included into the study in 10 centers between 1990 to 1996. Patients were classified into standard-risk (SR), medium-risk (MR) and high-risk (HR) group according to initial leukaemic burden, early treatment response, and genotype of leukaemia. Duration of the chemotherapy was two years. Treatment results were evaluated in 352 children. With a median follow-up of 7.3 years, event-free-survival (EFS) was 71.3% and overall survival 76.4%. EFS was 80.3%, 74% and 28.2% in SR, MR and HR group, respectively. Relapse was diagnosed in 17.8% of the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The treatment outcome of children with ALL improved significantly (p = 0.0045) compared to the previous study ALL-BFM 83 (EFS 62%). These results are comparable to those achieved by leading leukaemia study groups in the world.
D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001215:Asparaginase / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015122:Mercaptopurine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D003561:Cytarabine; D014750:Vincristine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D015122:Mercaptopurine; D001215:Asparaginase; D011241:Prednisone; D008727:Methotrexate; D003630:Daunorubicin