title: Use of simplified strategies to evaluate early treatment response in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Early treatment response assessment has become an import prerequisite in the selection therapy in childhood ALL. In this study we compare classical diagnostic factors and the significance of three simplified strategies, WBC count at day 7 and a simplified PCR methodology to minimal residual disease detection on days 14 and 28, to evaluate early treatment response in 84 consecutive children with ALL. The use of these simplified methods for the evaluation of early response, proved to be a good predictor of an unfavorable course in children with ALL and could be used as a stratification criterion in treatment protocols, specially in low-budget countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. cascrideli@hcrp.fmrp.usp.br
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Scrideli
authors.forename: Rosane
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Paula Queiróz
authors.forename: José Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bernardes
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Defavery
authors.forename: Elvis Terci
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Valera
authors.forename: Luiz Gonzaga
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Tone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome