title: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in infants.
abstract: Between January 1978 and August 1999, 29 infants with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were treated on three consecutive protocols. Eighteen patients with infant ALL diagnosed between 1978-1991 were included in Group 1. In this group, treatment comprised a two- or three-drug induction with prednisolone, vincristine and L-asparaginase, and maintenance therapy consisted of weekly oral administration of mercaptopurine and methotrexate for three years. Group 2: Between 1991 and 1999, 11 infants with ALL were treated by St. Jude Total Therapy XI (n=4) and XIII (n=7) protocols with minor modification. Three years' event-free survival (+/-SE) was 14 +/- 9% in group 1. In group 2, this rate was 25 +/- 22% in Total XI and 57 +/- 19% in Total XIII. Outcome for infants on protocols Total Therapy XI and XIII improved compared with that of group 1.
authors.affiliation: Section of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aytemiz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gürgey
authors.forename: Sevgi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yetgin
authors.forename: Mualla
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cetin
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gümrük
authors.forename: A Murat
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tuncer
authors.forename: Ergül
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tunçbilek
authors.forename: Gönül
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hiçsönmez
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001215:Asparaginase / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014750:Vincristine; D011239:Prednisolone; D001215:Asparaginase; D008775:Methylprednisolone