Treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a pilot study which raises important questions
Ohyashiki, K.; Ohyashiki, J.H.; Tauchi, T.; Fujieda, H.; Hojo, H.; Ohtaka, M.; Saito, M.; Nakazawa, S.; Toyama, K.
Leukemia 5(7): 611-614
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0887-6924 PMID: 2072747 Document Number: 372700
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients with a Philadelphia chromosome (Ph+ ALL) were treated with a combination of antineoplastic drugs recommended for both myeloid and lymphoid leukemia (BHAC-DMPV: behenoylcytosine arabinoside, daunorubicin, 6-mercaptopurine, prednisolone, and vincristine). Ph+ ALL patients with chromosome breaks which occur within the major breakpoint cluster region (M-BCR rearranged Ph+ ALL) were treated with natural interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) after entering complete remission. In this study, four of seven patients with Ph+ ALL had M-BCR rearrangement, and all achieved complete remission with karyotypic normalization. Subsequent cytogenetic analysis during complete remission in two ALL patients with M-BCR rearrangement revealed that the percentage of bone marrow cells with the Ph chromosome increased, while the bone marrow maintained remission status. This cytogenetic-hematological discrepancy led us to consider that M-BCR rearranged Ph+ ALL might be a variant of chronic myelogenous leukemia, therefore, three Ph+ ALL patients with M-BCR rearrangement were treated with IFN-alpha after achieving complete remission. In contrast, only one of three patients with M-BCR non-rearranged Ph+ ALL obtained complete remission.