THE BERLIN-WEST ALL STUDY AFTER 7 YEARS AND ITS 3 YEARS' CONTROL IN MUNSTER/WESTFALEN AND FRANKFURT/MAIN

Abstract

In sequence 141 children and adolescents with previously untreated ALL (78 males, 53 females, 1 month to 16 years, median age 5 10/12 years) entered this cooperative study between Oct. 70 and Sept. 76. All patients (Berlin group 73, Münster/Frankfurt group 68 pts.) were treated according to the Berlin-West induction protocol (Riehm et al., Klin. Pad., 189: 89 (1977)). Maintenance therapy was applied in two modifications (Berlin: cyclic sequential application, Oct. 70 - May 76; Münster/Frankfurt: combined application, Oct. 74 - Sept. 76). 134/141 pts. achieved complete remission (CR), 7 were non-responders or died within 4 weeks. Death in CR occurred 8/134 pts., all within 4 months after diagnosis. As to July 1^st, 77, 92/126 pts. are in continuous complete remission (CCR) between 9 mths. and 6 9/12 yrs. The cumulative index for 7 yrs. CCR calculated by the life table method is 0.59 with as yet no difference between the two groups with different maintenance therapy. 34/126 pts. (27%) relapsed between 4 and 59 mths. after diagnosis (19x bone marrow, 10x CNS, 3x bone marrow/CNS, 2xtestis). In pts. with WBC at diagnosis < 25 G/l the 7 yrs. cumulative index for CCR is 0.70 (66/77 pts. in CCR) and in those with WBC > 25 G/l 0.41 (26/49 pts. in CCR). 104/141 pts. survive (74%), the cumulative index for survival after 7 yrs. is 0.67. For comparison, the 3 yrs. cumulative indices for CCR (126 pts.) and, survival (141 pts.) are 0.69 and 0.74 (Berlin) and 0.76 and 0.71 (Münster/Frankfurt).

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