Abstract
Thirty adult patients, aged 15 years and older, with previously untreated acute lymphoblastic leukemia were treated with various chemotherapeutic regimens. The overall response rate was 73% (22/30). Seventeen complete remissions (CR) were attained by the initial regimen, and 5 CRs by additional chemotherapies. The combination chemotherapies consisting of vincristine (V)+daunomycin (D)+prednisolone (P), V+P, vindesine+P, V+cyclophosphamide (C)+6-mercaptopurine+P, V+D+C+P and others produced the response rates of 86% (6/7), 67% (6/9), 17% (1/6), 33% (1/3), 67% (2/3) and 50% (1/2), respectively. The median response duration was 155 days (23∼1155), and the median surval times were 387 days+for CRs and 96 days for nonresponders (P<0.01). Somewhat low response rates were observed among patients with thrombocytopenia (<50,000/mm3) or those aged greater than 40 years. There was no relation between the response rate and WBC count, severity of anemia or FAB classification (L1 or L2). Twenty cases were analized according to leukemic cell surface phenotypes. There was no difference in either rate or duration of CR between the null cell group (11 cases) and the T cell group (7 cases), but younger patients and CNS involvements were more frequent in the latter qroup.
