YOUNG-ADULTS 16-21 YEARS OF AGE AT DIAGNOSIS ENTERED ON CHILDRENS CANCER GROUP ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA AND ACUTE MYELOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIAPROTOCOLS - RESULTS OF TREATMENT

Background. Scant data are available on event-free survival (EFS) for young adults with leukemia who were 16-21 years of age at diagnosis. I n acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), it is well recognized that child ren have a better EFS compared with adults, whereas for acute myelocyt ic leukemia (AML), EFS results seem to be similar. To determine the ap propriate treatment for young adults with leukemia, outcome data are e ssential. Methods. Young adults entered on the Childrens Cancer Group (CCG) 100 series ALI, protocols and the CCG 213 AML protocol were anal yzed for EFS and survival. Prognostic factors for EFS also were determ ined. Results. The actuarial EFS for 143 young adults with ALL treated on the CCG 100 series ALL protocols was 64 +/- 4% at 4 years and 59 /- 4% at 6 years. The major adverse prognostic feature was leukocyte c ounts greater than 50,000/mul. The actuarial EFS for 79 young adults w ith AML entered on CCG 213 was 32.2 +/- 5.3% at 2 years and 28.6 +/- 5 .3% at 3 years. Conclusions. Young adults with ALL treated on CCG prot ocols have a 6-year EFS of approximately 60%. This is similar to the E FS for patients 10-15+ years of age at diagnosis treated on the same p rotocols and better than EFS results reported from most adult trials. Young adults with AML had a slightly inferior outcome compared with yo unger children.