PROGNOSTIC VARIABLES AND SURVIVAL IN PEDIATRIC ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIAS - CANCER INSTITUTE EXPERIENCE

This presentation is an analysis of front-end prognostic variables in achieving a complete response, a continuous complete remission, and di sease-free survival in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the C ancer Institute, Madras, India between 1983 and 1988. The clinical cha racteristics at presentation showed that virtually 100% of patients be long to the poor risk category, age <3 gears of >6 years 72.2%, WBC >1 0,000/mm(3) 59.8%, blast count >50% 39.2%, organomegaly 91.8%, and L(2 ) morphology 66.0%. All patients had more than one risk factor. Betwee n 1983 and 1988, 97 children were treated on a Pilot protocol designed in Division of the Pediatric Oncology Branch of the National Cancer I nstitute, Bethesda, Maryland. The protocol was designed for a poor pro gnostic group. The significance of implicated poor prognostic factors was analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Age at presentat ion was the only variable that emerged as an independent risk factor, and sex appeared to be a modifier. No other variables attained signifi cance. Survival data were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The r elapse-free and event-free survivals up to 10 years were 50.7% and 38. 1%, and compare reasonably well with results reported for similar grou ps elsewhere for the sane period.