Prophylactic CNS therapy in childhood acute leukemia: review of methods used.

By use of prophylactic CNS therapy in children with ALL, the incidence of central nervous system relapse was dramatically reduced and the length of the initial bone marrow remission was significantly prolonged. Following thin's Research Hospital. Ten additional CNS therapy regimens were found which gave results equivalent to, but not better than, the St. Jude results. Our knowledge of CNS leukemia in general has greatly increased, but the last 8 years have brought us no further significant progress as to an improved regimen for prophylactic CNS therapy. Thus, 5--10% still show CNS relapse and one-third of children with ALL still have hematological relapse within the first 5 years following initiation of therapy.