Pediatric Hematology
Contributions
Type: Publication Only
Background
ALL is the most common cancer in the paediatric age group. In recent years, through the use of intensive chemotherapy together with improved supportive care, the 5-year survival rate has increased above 85%. Despite this high survival rate, completing the entire therapy regimen is challenging because of the severe complications that interrupt the chemotherapeutic process. A minor proportion of patients can be expected to complete chemotherapy without experiencing serious complications during chemotherapy
Aims
We aimed to evaluate the complications that we observed in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) during the remission induction, consolidation, and reinduction phases of chemotherapy retrospectively.
Methods
We analysed the clinical records of 128 patients with ALL who were diagnosed and treated in the Department of Pediatric Hematology of Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training Hospital between August 2009 and April 2014.
Results
Of these documented complications, 53.05% were in males, 46.95% in females; 32.26% were in standard-risk, 45.52% in medium-risk, 22.22% in high-risk group of patients. Common documented events were pneumonia (25%), therapy-induced hyperglycemia (16.40%) therapy-related hepatitis (15.62%), generalized tonic-clonic seizures (14.84%), anaphylaxis to asparaginase (14.06%), hypertension (13.28%), varicella zoster infection (13.28%), renal tubulopathy (12.5%). Time of complications was induction phase in 32.62%, consolidation in 19.35%, HR blocks in 18.28%, reinduction 29.75% during the phases. Mortality rate due to complications was 13.28%.
Summary
Therapy-related complications can limit the survival rates in children with ALL. To minimize the treatment burden, even very rare complications must be considered and treated promptly with a multidisciplinary approach.
Keyword(s): Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Chemotherapy, Complications
Type: Publication Only
Background
ALL is the most common cancer in the paediatric age group. In recent years, through the use of intensive chemotherapy together with improved supportive care, the 5-year survival rate has increased above 85%. Despite this high survival rate, completing the entire therapy regimen is challenging because of the severe complications that interrupt the chemotherapeutic process. A minor proportion of patients can be expected to complete chemotherapy without experiencing serious complications during chemotherapy
Aims
We aimed to evaluate the complications that we observed in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) during the remission induction, consolidation, and reinduction phases of chemotherapy retrospectively.
Methods
We analysed the clinical records of 128 patients with ALL who were diagnosed and treated in the Department of Pediatric Hematology of Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training Hospital between August 2009 and April 2014.
Results
Of these documented complications, 53.05% were in males, 46.95% in females; 32.26% were in standard-risk, 45.52% in medium-risk, 22.22% in high-risk group of patients. Common documented events were pneumonia (25%), therapy-induced hyperglycemia (16.40%) therapy-related hepatitis (15.62%), generalized tonic-clonic seizures (14.84%), anaphylaxis to asparaginase (14.06%), hypertension (13.28%), varicella zoster infection (13.28%), renal tubulopathy (12.5%). Time of complications was induction phase in 32.62%, consolidation in 19.35%, HR blocks in 18.28%, reinduction 29.75% during the phases. Mortality rate due to complications was 13.28%.
Summary
Therapy-related complications can limit the survival rates in children with ALL. To minimize the treatment burden, even very rare complications must be considered and treated promptly with a multidisciplinary approach.
Keyword(s): Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Chemotherapy, Complications