Results of the Japan Association of Childhood Leukemia Study (JACLS) NHL-98 protocol for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and mature B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood.

The Japan Association of Childhood Leukemia Study (JACLS) NHL-98 is a multicenter study designed to evaluate treatment outcomes in Japanese children with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) and mature B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). The study was supported by a central pathology review system and used a new, standardized protocol with short, intensive treatment regimens. From April 1998 to May 2002, 69 patients with B-NHL and B-ALL up to 16 years of age were enrolled in the NHL-98 study. Treatment was stratified by risk group; patients with limited disease were in groups A and B, and those with extensive disease were in groups C and D. Patients in groups B, C, and D received consolidation phases with high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) followed by other multi-agent chemotherapy. Patients in group A did not receive either MTX or etoposide. Only patients in group D received etoposide. The event-free survival rates were 100% in groups A and B, 75.1% in group C, and 66.2% in group D. Overall, patients with limited disease had favorable results. For patients with extensive disease, additional treatment options such as increased doses of anticancer drugs warrant further investigation.