O. Legrand et al., EARLY CYTOREDUCTION - A MAJOR PROGNOSTIC FACTOR IN ADULT ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA, Leukemia & lymphoma, 15(5-6), 1994, pp. 433-438
Prognostic factors in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are used for
treatment stratification of ALL. Definition of simple parameters such
as the presence or absence of peripheral leukemic cells after one week
of treatment could help for stratification. A retrospective study was
conducted on 79 previously untreated adult patients with ALL followed
in the Hematology department of Hotel Dieu from 1981 to 1991. 84% of
patients achieved complete remission (CR), 7% were refractory to induc
tion treatment, and 7 patients (9%) died during the first month after
diagnosis. After multivariate analysis the only independent statistica
lly significant factors for achieving CR were the absence of periphera
l blast cells at day 7 (PBC D7) (p = 0.009) and age (< 50 years) (p =
0.03). For CR duration the same independent statistically significant
factors were found (PBC D7 = 0 versus > 0, p = 0.008; and age < or gre
ater than or equal to 30 years, p = 0.045). The PBC D7 value was more
significant when circulating blast cells were present at diagnosis. In
patients with more than 50,000 PBC at diagnosis, the 10-years event f
ree disease was 62% +/- 20% when PBC were absent at day 7 versus 0% wh
en PBC were present (p < 0.002). All 20 patients with prolonged DFS ha
d PBC D7 = 0 achieving CR by 28 days. The persistence of PBC at Day 7
could be used as a factor to identify a subgroup of poor prognosis adu
lts with ALL.