Remission-induction therapy in acute leukemia in children.
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Two patients with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia of thymic phenotype (Thy-ALL) resistant to all conventional chemotherapy achieved complete remission when treated with 2'-deoxycoformycin, a selectively lymphocytotoxic compound that acts by inhibition of the enzyme adenosine deaminase. These observations show that malignant thymocytes are dependent on adenosine-deaminase activity and suggest that it may be possible to use deoxycoformycin in other patients with Thy-ALL to induce remission or to kill Thy-ALL blasts in bone marrow harvested before autologous bone-marrow transplantation, leaving normal haemopoietic stem cells intact.
Two elderly patients with prolymphocytic leukaemia (PLL) of T helper phenotype were treated with the adenosine deaminase inhibitor--deoxycoformycin--and achieved remission. The first patient has remained in an unmaintained remission for over a year. The second patient, treated with a regime which produced less side effects, subsequently relapsed in skin and lymph nodes and died. In view of the rarity of this condition a multi-centre assessment of the effectiveness of deoxycoformycin is indicated. T-lymphocyte colony formation in both cases was found to be reduced. Co-culture of the patients' lymphocytes with nonadherent mononuclear cells from normal individuals also showed inhibition of T-colony formation indicating that lack of nutrients or accessory cells was not responsible for low T-colony forming capacity.
A 42-year-old woman was diagnosed as having acute myelogenous leukemia (M 2 of FAB classification) in May, 1985. Complete remission was achieved with the BHAC-DP therapy (BHAC, daunomycin and prednisolone). Whole skull irradiation and intra thecal chemotherapy were performed by way of prevention. In 1986, she developed her visual disturbance and paraplegia. Myelography and metrizamide CT indicate intraspinal and meningeal infiltration of leukemic cells in the upper thoracic spine. Leukemic cells were found in the cerebrospinal fluid but not in the bone marrow. Complete remission was obtained by irradiation and intrathecal chemotherapy. In Dec. 1986, Ommaya tubing was repeated. Hematological and neurological examinations showed no evidence of malignancy for 3 years. In Oct. 1988, she admitted to our hospital for the maintenance of the remission state, and died of sepsis. The result of autopsy revealed no leukemic cells in her CNS. It is said the intraspinal infiltration of leukemic cells is rather rare. As it is said the intrathecal injection of anti-leukemic agents is not effective for the intraspinal infiltration, irradiation should be needed. Therefore it is very important to critically differentiated intraspinal from meningeal infiltration. Furthermore, Ommaya tubing is effective in order to maintain remission in a patient with CNS leukemia.
BACKGROUND: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a bone marrow disease. This may adversely affect the capacity of T cells to recover from chemotherapy-induced T-cell depletion and thus contribute to the prevailing immune deficiency in ALL patients. PROCEDURE: We tested the capacity of T-cells to regenerate in 18 ALL children in first clinical remission (median age 4.2 years) at the time of hematologic reconstitution after BFM-ALL induction therapy (treatment-free interval 22 days, median; range 12 to 52 days). All patients had experienced a period of leukopenia (white blood cell count [WBC] <0.95 x 10(9)/l, median) during the final four weeks of induction therapy. T-cells and T-cell subsets were examined by FACS. RESULTS: At the time of investigation the WBC was near normal (3.5 x 10(9)/l, median). Surprisingly, most cases (78%) showed a complete regeneration of T-cells and its subsets including 1) normal total (CD3+) T-cells (1635/microl, median; range 756-3440/microl); 2) normal T-helper (CD4+) cells (697/microl, median; range 128-1523/microl); and 3) normal T-cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8+) cells (686/microl, median; range 348-1540/microl). Eight patients achieved a normal CD4+/CD8+ ratio (0.8, median). Subset analyses of T-helper cells revealed a normal proportion of CD4+CD45RA+ cells (52%, median) in all but one patient below the age of 6 years, indicating an intact residual thymic activity. No correlation was observed between age at diagnosis and a normal CD4+ count (r = 0.086) or between a normal CD4+ count and a normal proportion of CD4+CD45RA+ cells r = 0.136). A long-term survey in four patients showed altered T-cells after reinduction and during maintenance therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that ALL per se does not inhibit T-cell regenerative capacity. Thus, the frequently observed longlasting impairment of the T-cell system in ALL is attributable to the treatment rather than to the underlying disease.
Five weekly doses of triple intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy (methotrexate, hydrocortisone, cytosine arabinoside) starting on day 1 of treatment were added to systemic induction therapy in a regimen (Arm 3) that was compared to three other regimens (Arms 1, 2, and 4) in which central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis was initiated after complete marrow remission (CR) was attained. The CR rate for Arm 3 was only 83% as compared to 91-92% for other Arms. The lower CR rate was the result of a significantly higher death rate during induction for patients receiving early CNS prophylaxis (10.6 vs 0.9-3.5%). These differences were only observed in high risk patients as defined in the study. The early death rate was especially high (30%) in Arm 3 for children who were less than 2 years of age. Infection was the primary cause of morbidity and mortality. Severe infection following the initiation of induction therapy was found in 16.7% of patients on Arm 3 vs 1.8-6% on other regimens. Immediate triple IT chemoprophylaxis during induction therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia as used in this study appears to be associated with increased susceptibility to infection and this form of CNS prophylaxis has increased hazards of morbidity and mortality in infants and other high risk patients.
Nine patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in relapse were treated with a course of cytosine arabinoside followed immediately by a course of L-asparaginase. Eight patients achieved complete remission of their disease. This combination of drugs is sufficiently effective to suggest that further trial is needed. It is possible that the combination has a synergistic effect.
The safety and efficacy of filgrastim as an adjunct to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) induction and consolidation therapy was assessed in this prospective double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. A total of 521 consecutive de novo AML patients aged 16 or more years were randomized to receive filgrastim (5 microg/kg/d subcutaneously) or placebo after standard induction as well as consolidation chemotherapy. Blinded study drug was given from 24 hours after chemotherapy until the absolute neutrophil count was >/=1.0 x 10(9)/L for 3 consecutive days. The overall complete remission rate was 68%. After a median follow-up of 24 months (range 5 to 40) the median disease-free survival was 10 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.7 to 10.8) and the median overall survival was 13 months (95%CI, 12.2 to 14.6). These did not differ between treatment groups. Patients receiving filgrastim experienced neutrophil recovery 5 days earlier after induction 1 than those receiving placebo (P < .0001). This was accompanied by reductions in the duration of fever (7 v 8.5 days; P = .009), parenteral antibiotic use (15 v 18.5 days; P = .0001), and hospitalization (20 v 25 days; P = .0001). Similar reductions were seen after induction 2 and the consolidation courses. There was a significant reduction in the number of patients requiring systemic antifungal therapy in the filgrastim group during induction treatment (34% v 43%; P = .04). In conclusion, filgrastim is safe in that it had no negative impact on the prognosis of the AML patients. In addition, it effectively reduced the duration of neutropenia, leading to significant clinical benefits by reducing the duration of fever; requirement for parenteral anti-infectives, specifically amphotericin B; and the duration of hospitalization.
Six adults with refractory acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) were treated with high-dose methotrexate, citrovorum factor, and vincristine. All patients had previously received extensive treatment with standard therapeutic agents, including vincristine, and all but one had received prior methotrexate. Two patients achieved complete remission and one achieved partial remission. Responses were seen at 3--6 gm/m2 of methotrexate. The durations of remission were 7--10 weeks. High-dose methotrexate with citrovorum factor is effective in the treatment of advanced ALL and should be considered for inclusion in initial combination chemotherapeutic regimens for adult ALL.
Eighteen patients with Stage III or IV nodular poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma (malignant lymphoma, infiltrative nodular type, with predominately small cleaved cells) were treated with intermittent high-dose oral chlorambucil (16 mg/m2 daily for five consecutive days each month) for one year. Complete clinical remissions occurred in 78% of these patients and partial remissions in another 17%. Complete remission usually occurred within three months of beginning therapy and with a medial follow-up of 35 months no patient has relapsed. Toxicity, usually hematologic and occurring late in therapy, has been mild, necessitating termination of therapy in only one patient. Review of recent therapy fails to demonstrate a definite long-term advantage of more aggressive treatment regimens. Intermittent high-dose chlorambucil should be further evaluated as therapy for nodular poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma.
A regimen of intravenous cyclophosphamide, cytarabine and vincristine, given over a four-day period and repeated every two to three weeks, was used to treat 33 patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. Of the 30 evaluable patients 9/18 previously untreated patients achieved complete remission and two others marked improvement, and 4/12 previously treated patients achieved complete remission. Twelve of 16 patients under the median age of 38 responded while only 3/14 patients over this age responded. There was no difference in response between those with elevated muramidase levels and those with normal levels. Three patients developed a previously unrecognized syndorme of fever, malaise, rash and orbital suffusion. Cytarabine was probably responsible.At least four courses of treatment are required before abandoning this regimen of therapy. Patients who achieve a complete remission and live for more than 150 days spend about 25% of their total survival time from diagnosis in hospital.
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Twenty-two patients with adult acute non-lymphocytic leukemia treated with intensive combination chemotherapy between November 1975 and April 1982 were retrospectively analyzed to see if we could find useful clinical parameters which could predict those patients who, after failing their initial treatment cycle, would respond to subsequent cycles of the same regimen. Three groups of patients were identified. Eight patients achieved complete remission with one cycle of chemotherapy; seven patients achieved complete remission with a second cycle of the same regimen and seven patients did not respond. Marrow studies performed approximately 3 weeks following the first cycle of therapy were analyzed. Patients who subsequently responded to the regimen differed from non-responders in the residual blasts percentage in the marrow obtained 20-24 days after the initiation of the first cycle. Patients who responded to a second cycle had 11-36% blasts (mean 24%), while non-responders had 35-96% blasts (mean 66%) (p less than 0.01). No patients with more than 40% blasts in their bone marrow achieved complete remission. We concluded that patients with more than 40% blasts in their bone marrow 20-24 days after the initiation of the first cycle of the chemotherapy regimens used should receive an alternate regimen for a second cycle of induction therapy.
Forty-eight patients with small cell lung cancer were treated with an intensive therapy regimen which included induction chemotherapy with vincristine, adriamycin, procarbazine, and methotrexate. This was followed by radiation therapy given to areas of residual disease after restaging. Maintenance chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and procarbazine was then given to patients who had entered complete remission (CR). Fifteen out of 17 patients with limited disease (88%) achieved complete remission. Remission rates for patients with extrathoracic metastases were somewhat lower. Seven of 11 patients (64%) of patients with a single extrathoracic metastatic site achieved CR, while only 6/20 (30%) with multiple extrathoracic metastases went into remission. Median survival for patients who achieved complete remission was 17 months.
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A comparative trial of a combination of daunorubicin and cytosine arabinoside (Regimen A) and a combination of aclarubicin and cytosine arabinoside (Regimen B) was performed. Sixteen patients with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia, previously untreated, were entered into this study. Five of 8 patients (62.5%) obtained a complete remission (CR) in Regimen A and B, respectively. The days required for achieving a CR varied from 37 to 46 days in Regimen A and from 22 to 56 days in Regimen B. The total doses of daunorubicin and cytosine arabinoside were from 100 to 240 mg and from 640 to 1,120 mg in Regimen A, respectively. Those of aclarubicin were from 180 to 300 mg and from 660 to 1,000 mg in cytosine arabinoside in Regimen B. In a comparative study on hematological changes, toxic effects on peripheral white blood cell, platelet and nucleated cell counts in bone marrow tended to appear later in Regimen B compared to those in Regimen A. Side effects on digestive system such as nausea and vomiting and vascular pain were more frequently recognized in patients treated with Regimen B, although they were managed by symptomatic treatment. The results indicated the usefullness of aclarubicin in combination chemotherapy for the treatment of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia.