Improved Prognosis in ALL with Modified BFM Protocols — Preliminary Results from Turkey

Intensive multiagent chemotherapy and central nervous system prophylaxis has resulted in remarkably improved event-free survival (EFS) approaching 80% in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) [1, 2, 3]. In contrast, prognosis of childhood ALL has remained poor with conventional treatment in our department with an overall long-term survival of 13% and an event-free interval (EFI) of 12%. Similar results have been reported from other centers in Turkey [4]. Besides the quality of chemotherapy; supportive care measures, access to drugs, patient incompliance and socioeconomic conditions are important factors in developing countries [4, 5], leading to reluctance in the institution of intensive regimens.