Retrospective Survey Of Children Treated For Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Complete Remission (Cr) Rates): A Report From The Therapeutic Advances In Childhood Leukemia (Tacl) Consortium

Introduction: Event-free survival (EFS) for children with ALL is approximately 80%. Despite substantial success in achieving second and subsequent remissions, survival of patients with relapsed ALL (rALL) remains dismal. We propose that progress depends on identification of novel drug combinations with more activity in rALL than those commonly employed. The literature suggests a 40% CR rate for second and subsequent relapse (Br. J Haematol 2005; 131:579). However, CR rates depend on the number of prior therapeutic attempts and duration of any prior response, complicating identification of promising regimens. Limited patient numbers and a large number of potential candidate regimens discourage randomized trials. We surveyed local experience with rALL to establish a robust benchmark for evaluation of novel drug combinations.