Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in infants less than one year of age: a cumulative experience of the Children's Cancer Study Group.

1985 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 1513-1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Reaman ◽  
P Zeltzer ◽  
W A Bleyer ◽  
B Amendola ◽  
C Level ◽  
...  

A retrospective review of all 115 infants less than 1 year of age with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) entered on a consecutive series of recent Children's Cancer Study Group (CCSG) leukemia protocols was undertaken to examine in detail the outcome and clinical course of a large group of similarly treated infants. In comparison to the 4,392 children older than 1 year, entered on the same studies, infants had a significantly (P = .0001) increased incidence of leukocytosis, hepatosplenomegaly, meningeal leukemia at presentation, hypogammaglobulinemia, and failure to achieve complete remission (CR) status by day 14 of induction therapy. In contrast, lymphadenopathy, non-L1 French-American-British (FAB) morphology, mediastinal mass, and T cell leukemia were not more frequently observed. Ninety percent of these infants successfully completed the induction phase of therapy. With a median follow-up of 35 months, life table estimate of disease-free survival is only 23% at 4 years. Identical disease-free survival rates for infants were observed in each of the individual studies reviewed. Excessive toxicity resulting in limitation of therapy delivered was not a causative factor for the disappointing outcome of these patients. Rather, early disease recurrence, characterized by bone marrow relapse (55%) and CNS (22%) relapse, was the major factor responsible for the extremely poor prognosis of this patient group. Identical CNS relapse rates were observed in those patients who received cranial irradiation as part of CNS prophylaxis (21.8%) and in those patients who did not receive cranial radiotherapy (24%). Results of salvage therapy for patients who experienced systemic or extramedullary relapse were dismal. Debilitating neuropsychologic sequellae, presumably related to CNS irradiation, have been observed in 50% of the small number of long-term survivors. Infants less than 1 year of age with ALL present with a constellation of features which predict a poor outcome and constitute the group of children with ALL at greatest risk for treatment failure.

1991 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1012-1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
W A Bleyer ◽  
H N Sather ◽  
H J Nickerson ◽  
P F Coccia ◽  
J Z Finklestein ◽  
...  

On study CCG-161 of the Childrens Cancer Study Group (CCSG), 631 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at low risk for relapse were randomized to receive monthly pulses of vincristine-prednisone (VCR-PDN ) during maintenance therapy in addition to standard therapy with mercaptopurine (6MP) and methotrexate (MTX), and either cranial irradiation during consolidation or intrathecal (IT) MTX every 3 months during maintenance. All patients received six doses of IT MTX during induction and consolidation. With a minimum follow-up time of 4.25 years, 76.7% receiving VCR-PDN were in continuous complete remission at 5 years, in contrast to 63.9% receiving GMP-MTX alone (P = .002). The difference in relapse-free survival was due primarily to bone marrow relapse (P = .0008), and in boys also to testicular relapse (P = .003). Among the nonirradiated patients, the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 79.4% for patients randomized to the VCR-PDN pulses, in contrast to 61.2% for the patients randomized to receive 6MP-MTX alone (P = .0002). Among the irradiated patients, the DFS was not significantly different. Of the four combinations of maintenance and CNS therapy studied, the highest DFS was achieved with VCR-PDN pulses and maintenance IT MTX.


1989 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
D R Miller ◽  
S L Leikin ◽  
V C Albo ◽  
H Sather ◽  
G D Hammond

Childrens Cancer Study Group protocol 141 (CCG-141), a randomized trial, was designed in part to compare 3 v 5 years of maintenance therapy, to evaluate the role of late reinduction, and to identify factors that predict relapse after 3 years of continuous complete remission (CCR) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Of 880 patients entered on study, 827 (94%) achieved complete remission and 499 (56.7%) were in CCR after 3 years of maintenance therapy. Boys were required to have negative testicular biopsies before randomization. A total of 481 patients were eligible for the duration of therapy phase of the study. Of the 310 (64.4%) randomly assigned patients, 101 were entered on regimen A: discontinue therapy; 105 on regimen B: reinduction for 4 weeks, then discontinue therapy; and 104 on regimen C: continue maintenance therapy for 2 more years, then discontinue. After a median follow-up of over 72 months, no significant differences in disease-free survival (DFS) or survival were noted in the three regimens. At 6 years from randomization, 93.0%, 89.1%, and 89.1% of patients on regimens A, B, and C, respectively, remained in CCR. Isolated CNS or overt testicular relapses were not significantly different in any of the study regimens. Isolated testicular relapse after a negative biopsy occurred in only two of 137 randomized males (1.5%). DFS (P = .10) and survival (P = .83) were not significantly different for all boys and girls randomized to regimens A, B, or C. The relapse rate was higher in boys than in girls randomized to discontinue therapy (11% v 4%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P = .14). Except for the presence of occult testicular leukemia (TL) in males, no other factors were identified that predicted for adverse events after 3 years of CCR. We conclude that prolongation of maintenance therapy beyond 3 years does not improve survival or decrease the risk of relapse.


Blood ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 1242-1248 ◽  
Author(s):  
CA Linker ◽  
LJ Levitt ◽  
M O'Donnell ◽  
CA Ries ◽  
MP Link ◽  
...  

Abstract We designed a treatment program to improve the outcome for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Treatment included a remission- induction phase followed by intensive alternating cycles of non-cross- resistant chemotherapy and prolonged oral maintenance therapy. Eighty- one consecutive previously untreated patients were entered on this study. Ninety-four percent of patients entered complete remission. A Kaplan-Meier analysis predicts that 53% +/- 9% (SEM) of patients in remission will remain free of disease at 3 years. Neither age, sex, WBC count, nor immunophenotype had a significant effect on remission duration. This program of intensive cyclical chemotherapy has improved the disease-free survival of patients with adult ALL.


Blood ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 1242-1248
Author(s):  
CA Linker ◽  
LJ Levitt ◽  
M O'Donnell ◽  
CA Ries ◽  
MP Link ◽  
...  

We designed a treatment program to improve the outcome for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Treatment included a remission- induction phase followed by intensive alternating cycles of non-cross- resistant chemotherapy and prolonged oral maintenance therapy. Eighty- one consecutive previously untreated patients were entered on this study. Ninety-four percent of patients entered complete remission. A Kaplan-Meier analysis predicts that 53% +/- 9% (SEM) of patients in remission will remain free of disease at 3 years. Neither age, sex, WBC count, nor immunophenotype had a significant effect on remission duration. This program of intensive cyclical chemotherapy has improved the disease-free survival of patients with adult ALL.


1989 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 1807-1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
D R Miller ◽  
P F Coccia ◽  
W A Bleyer ◽  
J N Lukens ◽  
S E Siegel ◽  
...  

The Childrens Cancer Study Group (CCSG) CCG-160 protocol series was designed to evaluate prognostic factors in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patients were assigned to one of three prognostic groups based upon initial WBC count and age. To determine the optimal duration of therapy, CCG-160 patients completing 2 years of treatment in continuous remission were randomized ("late randomization") to discontinue therapy or receive another year of maintenance therapy. The prognostic significance of early response to induction therapy, as measured by the percentage of lymphoblasts in the day-14 bone marrow (d14 BM) aspirate, was evaluated in 2,516 children. For 1,490 patients with complete data, the status of the d 14 BM was a highly significant predictor of disease-free survival (DFS) by univariate and multivariate analysis (P less than .0001). The observed/expected (O/E) failure rate in patients with d14 M1 (less than 5% blasts), M2 (4% to 25% blasts), or M3 (greater than 25% blasts) BM rating who were subsequently M1 on day 28 or day 42, was .87, 1.59, and 2.30, respectively (P less than .0001). Patients with M2 or M3 d14 BM were more likely to have L2 ALL (modified French-American-British [FAB] morphologic classification), P less than .001. The significance of the d14 BM rating persisted after correction was made for WBC count and clinical prognostic groups using current CCSG criteria, except in infants less than 12 months of age. The d14 BM was also the most significant predictor of DFS in 975 patients after late randomization at 2 years following diagnosis. The O/E failure rate in patients with d14 M1, M2, or M3 BM was .88, 1.78, and 2.02, respectively (P = .0002, trend). Other significant predictors of late relapse were prognostic groups (P = .0003, trend) and initial WBC count (P = .004, trend). Predictive for both early and late relapse of ALL, early response should be monitored closely and alternative treatment regimens should be considered for slow responders.


Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
pp. 2814-2822 ◽  
Author(s):  
CA Linker ◽  
LJ Levitt ◽  
M O'Donnell ◽  
SJ Forman ◽  
CA Ries

Abstract We treated 109 patients with adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed by histochemical and immunologic techniques. Patients were excluded only for age greater than 50 years and Burkitt's leukemia. Treatment included a four-drug remission induction phase followed by alternating cycles of noncrossresistant chemotherapy and prolonged oral maintenance therapy. Eighty-eight percent of patients entered complete remission. With a median follow-up of 77 months (range, 48 to 111 months), 42% +/- 6% (SEM) of patients achieving remission are projected to remain disease-free at 5 years, and disease-free survival for all patients entered on study is 35% +/- 5%. Failure to achieve remission within the first 4 weeks of therapy and the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome are associated with a 100% risk of relapse. Remission patients with neither of these adverse features have a 48% +/- 6% probability of remaining in continuous remission for 5 years. Patients with T-cell phenotype have a favorable prognosis with 59% +/- 13% of patients achieving remission remaining disease-free compared with 31% +/- 7% of CALLA-positive patients. Intensive chemotherapy may produce prolonged disease-free survival in a sizable fraction of adults with ALL. Improved therapy is needed, especially for patients with adverse prognostic features.


1989 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 747-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Bordigoni ◽  
J P Vernant ◽  
G Souillet ◽  
E Gluckman ◽  
D Marininchi ◽  
...  

Thirty-two children ranging in age from 1.5 to 16 years with poor-prognosis acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were treated with myeloablative immunosuppressive therapy consisting of cyclophosphamide (CPM) and total body irradiation (TBI) followed by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) while in first complete remission (CR). The main reasons for assignment to BMT were WBC count greater than 100,000/microL, structural chromosomal abnormalities, and resistance to initial induction therapy. All children were transplanted with marrow from histocompatible siblings. Twenty-seven patients are alive in first CR for 7 to 82 months post-transplantation (median, 30 months). The actuarial disease-free survival rate is 84.4% (confidence interval, 7.2% to 29%) and the actuarial relapse rate is 3.5% (confidence interval, 0.9% to 13%). Four patients died of transplant-related complications, 16 developed low-grade acute graft-v-host disease (GVHD), and six developed chronic GVHD. The very low incidence of relapse (one of 28 long-term survivors) precluded the determination of the prognostic significance of the different poor-outcome features. Moreover, two infants treated with busulfan, CPM, and cytarabine (Ara-C) relapsed promptly in the marrow. In summary, as a means of providing long-term disease-free survival and possible cure, BMT should be considered for children with ALL presenting poor-prognostic features, particularly certain chromosomal translocations [t(4;11), t(9;22)], very high WBC counts, notably if associated with a non-T immunophenotype, and, perhaps, a poor response to initial therapy with corticosteroids (CS), or infants less than 6 months of age.


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