In a nutshell
This study compared the safety and effectiveness of two different treatment plans for patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The study found that different medications and dosages used in both treatment plans improved survival in patients with ALL.
Some background
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow that affects the immune system. T-cell ALL is a type of ALL. It affects about 20% of patients with ALL. It is often treated with powerful chemotherapy medication. This can have a variety of effectiveness and side effects. Complete remission (CR) refers to when no signs of cancer are left after treatment. It is important to assess different treatment plans to identify the best survival outcomes and safety.
Methods & findings
169 patients with T-cell ALL in two groups received daunorubicin (Cerubidine), vincristine (Oncovin) and prednisone (Deltasone). Group 1 received a lower dose of daunorubicin and the addition of asparaginase (Elspar). On day 14, Group 2 received mitoxantrone (Novantrone) and cytarabine (Cytosar-U).
CR and survival without disease were similar between both groups. CR was achieved by 92% of patients in group 1 and 93% in group 2. Group 1 had a better overall survival two years after treatment compared to group 2 (65% vs. 44%). The risk of cancer returning after 2 years was 54% in group 1 and 49% in group 2.
Life-threatening side effects occurred in 3% of patients in group 1 and 8% of patients in group 2.
The bottom line
The study concluded that the group 1 treatment plan showed better outcomes and side effect profiles than group 2.
What’s next?
Discuss with your doctor about reviewing your treatment plan for ALL.
Published By :
European Journal of Haematology
Date :
Sep 29, 2018
