[Therapy of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Treatment results 1971-75 in 78 patients (author's transl)].

From December 1971 until July 1973 44 children with ALL have been treated according to branch A of the randomised DAL study series of June 3rd 1972 (1/71), which is a slight modification of study VII of Memphis. Afterwards until July 1975 34 patients received a somewhat intensified initial therapy (11/73). The results of 1/71 with a 3-year-remission rate of 39% and an expected 5-year-remission rate of 32% are comparable to those of study VII. The results of 11/73 with an expected 3-year-remission rate of 54% seems clearly superior and unterline the importance of an intensive initial therapy, like it is introduced now in a still more aggressive manner in our running protocol III/75. Therapy mortality was found to be about 5% and seemed to be dependant on the staff's experience. Cytosin-arabinoside orally proved effective as a prophylactic measure during incubation as well as a therapeutic agent in manifest varicalla/zoster infections.