Abstract
VENP-therapy—vincristine sulfate 1 or 2 mg/w IV (push), cyclophosphamide 50∼100 mg/d PO or 200∼500 mg×2/w IV (push), procarbazine 50∼100 mg/d PO and prednisolone 20∼30 mg/d PO—was indicated for initial remission induction of 13 cases with acute lymphocytic leukemia, from 14 to 67 (median 31)-year old at diagnosis.
Of 13 patients 9 obtained a complete remission (CR), 1 partial remission and 3 failure. The initial remission length was 2 2/3∼33 (median 5) months and the median survival time of patients attaining CR was 19 (7∼48+) months, as compared with 8 (4∼16 1/2+) months for patients not attaining CR. The three patients older than 60 years all obtained a CR and survived over 17 months. The median period to reach CR was 30 days from the beginning of the treatment. On the other hand, as to hematological changes in CR cases, the median time spent to recover was 23 days in WBC over 3,000/cmm and 16 days in plt. over 100,000/cmm, from day 1 of VENP respectively.
Thus, myelosuppression was mild compared to leukemocydal effect in VENP, which should be one of the most recommendable chemotherapies for aged patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia.
