Response-oriented individualized induction therapy followed by intensive consolidation and maintenance for adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: The ALL-87 Study of the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group (JALSG)

The Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group conducted the ALL-87 study to determin e whether response-oriented induction therapy and intensive consolidation a nd maintenance/intensification therapies could increase complete remission (CR) rate and survival in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Of 121 patients registered, 116 were evaluated. Patients' ages ranged from 15 to 7 2 years (median, 38 years). Induction therapy, which consisted of doxorubic in, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, L-asparaginase and prednisolone, was giv en in a response-oriented individualized fashion. Patients were randomly al located either to receive or not, intrathecal chemotherapy on day 8 of the induction therapy. Complete remission (CR) was obtained in 97 (83.6%) patie nts (90.2% in patients of less than 50 years of age and 67.6% in patients 5 0 years of age or older). At a median follow-up period of 65 months, the pr edicted 6-year overall survival and event free survival (EFS) rates of 116 patients were 23.4 and 20.0%, respectively. Predicted 6-year survival and d isease-free survival (DFS) rates of 97 CR patients were 28.2 and 24.5%, res pectively. By multivariate analysis, patients under 40 years of age (P = 0. 002) or those with a platelet count of more than 100000/mu l (P = 0.004) we re significant favorable prognostic factors for obtaining CR, and days to C R less than 50 (P = 0.003), patients under 50 years of age (P = 0.005) were significant favorable factors for longer DFS. There was no significant dif ference in CR rates and DFS between the two randomized groups according to the intrathecal chemotherapy on day 8. Response-oriented induction therapy produced a high CR rate, but fairly intensive consolidation and maintenance /intensification chemotherapies resulted in only a marginal effect on DFS i n adult ALL. Although age is one of the most important prognostic factors i n ALL, the outcome was unsatisfactory even in younger adult patients using chemotherapeutic regimen employed in this study. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.