Korean J Intern Med.  2003 Mar;18(1):21-28.

Treatment Outcome of Adult Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia with VPD (L) Regimen: analysis of Prognostic Factors

• Park SR
• Kim JH
• Kim DY
• Lee SH
• Lee SY
• Choi IS
• Yoon SS
• Park SY
• Kim BG
• Kim NK

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Because of the relative paucity of data regarding the clinical outcome in adult patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in Korea, we analyzed clinical courses in adult ALL patients treated with VPD (L) regimen (vincristine, prednisolone, daunorubicin, L-asparaginase) at the Seoul National University Hospital, and evaluated prognostic factors influencing the outcome. METHODS: Patients with ALL newly diagnosed between October 1994 and June 2000 at our hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Fifty-three patients were evaluable. Induction chemotherapy consisted of VPD with (46 cases) or without L-asparaginase (7 cases). After complete remission (CR), consolidation therapy, CNS prophylaxis and maintenance chemotherapy were administered. RESULTS: Ages ranged from 16 to 67 (median 30). CR rate was 86.8% (46/53) and no significant prognostic factor was found for the CR rate. With a median follow-up time of 27.2 months (range 12.9~83.0 months) in living patients, the median overall survival (OS) for all cases was 16.7 months (13.4~20.1 months, 95% C.I.) and the estimated 4-year OS rate was 25.4%+/-8.9%. The median relapse-free survival (RFS) was 12.2 months (8.4~16.0 months, 95% C.I.), and 3-year RFS rate was 29.9%+/-10.2%. Poor prognostic factors for OS were Ph chromosome (p=0.005) and T-cell immunophenotype (p=0.03). For RFS they were Ph chromosome (p=0.01) and the presence of a mediastinal mass (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Despite an initial excellent response to the VPD (L) regimen, newer therapeutic strategies, including more intensive postremission therapies, are urgently needed because of the high relapse rate. Future therapeutic approaches need to be stratified according to several prognostic factors.

Keyword

Leukemia; Lymphocytic; Acute; Treatment Outcome

MeSH Terms

Administration, Oral
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/*administration & dosage/adverse effects
Asparaginase/*administration & dosage/adverse effects
Disease-Free Survival
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Doxorubicin/*administration & dosage/adverse effects
Drug Administration Schedule
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Infusions, Intravenous
Male
Maximum Tolerated Dose
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/diagnosis/*drug therapy/*mortality
Prednisone/*administration & dosage/adverse effects
Probability
Remission Induction
Retrospective Studies
Survival Analysis
Treatment Outcome
Vincristine/*administration & dosage/adverse effects