title: Is the BFM Regimen Feasible for the Treatment of Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia? A Retrospective Analysis of the Outcomes of BFM and Hyper-CVAD Chemotherapy in Two Centers.
abstract: Multiple induction regimens have been developed for adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, there have been no prospective randomized trials that directly compare these regimens. In this study, we wanted to evaluate the outcome of 50 adult ALL patients treated with BFM (i.e. Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster, n = 20) and hyper-CVAD (n = 30) protocols between March 2006 and October 2012. The median age was 25 years in the BFM group and 30.5 years in the hyper-CVAD group with a male/female ratio of 15:5 and 17:13, respectively. Forty-five percent of the patients in the BFM group and 30.3% in the hyper-CVAD group were <25 years old. The majority of cases were B cell in origin (80% in the BFM group and 70% in the hyper-CVAD group). Complete remission after induction therapy was achieved in 95 and 96% of the patients, respectively. The median follow-up time was 37 months. The 5-year survival rate was higher in the BFM group than in the hyper-CVAD group (59 vs. 34%). There were also no complications which could cause a delay during the hyper-CVAD regimen. Both chemotherapies were well tolerated. None of the patients died from drug-related toxicity. Only mild liver enzyme elevations were seen as toxicity in the BFM group; these did not cause any delay in therapy. The BFM regimen seems to be feasible for adult patients with ALL in terms of tolerability and efficacy, especially in young adults.
authors: Division of Hematology, Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors: Inci
authors: I
authors: Alacacioglu
authors: Serife S
authors: SS
authors: Medeni
authors: Guner H
authors: GH
authors: Ozsan
authors: Bahriye
authors: B
authors: Payzin
authors: O Gokmen
authors: OG
authors: Sevindik
authors: Celal
authors: C
authors: Acar
authors: Abdullah
authors: A
authors: Katgi
authors: Fusun
authors: F
authors: Ozdemirkan
authors: Ozden
authors: O
authors: Piskin
authors: Mehmet A
authors: MA
authors: Ozcan
authors: Bulent
authors: B
authors: Undar
authors: Fatih
authors: F
authors: Demirkan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001215:Asparaginase / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014750:Vincristine; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D001215:Asparaginase; D011241:Prednisone; D003630:Daunorubicin