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

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Abstract
Thirty-four children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in relapse or resistant to initial induction received combination chemotherapy with prednisolone, vincristine, 1-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 1-asparaginase therapy in combination with an anthracycline might well be used in initial or consolidation therapy for childhood ALL.