Combination chemotherapy for bone marrow relapse in childhood lymphoblastic leukaemia (all)

✍ Scribed by Chessells, Judith M. ;Cornbleet, Michael

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1979
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 377 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0098-1532
• DOI: 10.1002/mpo.2950060413

✦ Synopsis

Thirty-four children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in relapse or resistant to initial induction received combination chemotherapy with prednisolone, vincristine, l-asparaginase, and daunorubicin. L-asparaginase was given subcutaneously on alternate days for four weeks and was well tolerated. A complete remission was achieved in 96% of children in relapse and in five out of six children resistant to induction. Remission was achieved without hospitalisation in over 60% of patients. The median duration of subsequent remission was only 13 weeks, but six out of eight children receiving a second course of the drug combination achieved a further remission. We conclude that prolonged l-asparaginase therapy in combination with an anthracycline might well be used in initial or consolidation therapy for childhood ALL.