Treating leukemia in a resource poor setting.

Acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) is the commonest childhood malignancy in India; most patients have no access to specialized health care. Our experience in treating such children who are unable to avail of facilities at specialized centers is described here. The case records of 79 patients with acute lymphatic leukemia, treated at a Government Medical College in Kerala over 15 years were analyzed. Of the 73 patients who completed treatment, 23 survived (36%) 20 had event-free survival more than 5 years after remission. The utilization of available resources is described. We suggest twinning between specialized centers in India and peripheral hospitals as a means to reach more children.