title: A practical strategy of monitoring minimal residue disease and intervention for central nervous system relapse of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a single Chinese center's experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) using cerebral spinal fluid for predicting central nervous system leukemia (CNSL) and treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  There is no survival difference between enhanced triple intrathecal therapy (ETIT) and cranial radiation for CNSL patients with positive morphology and MRD. Positive MRD correlated with CNSL, whereas negative MRD indicated a lower chance of CNSL recurrence. Altogether 79 cerebral spinal fluid specimens indicating negative morphology but positive MRD were given either ETIT or conventional triple intrathecal therapy. The ETIT group indicated lower relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Flow cytometry is sensitive to predict CNSL and ETIT is a potent intervention.
authors.affiliation: Section of Hematology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale University Medical School, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ca
authors.forename: Zhi-Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.forename: Ning-Ling
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models