[The effect of different ALL therapeutic protocols on body height and the growth rate]

Adult height in 20 patients, successfully treated for childhood leukemia, led to reduced height less than 2 standard deviations (S.D.). The loss in projected final height of 0.8 S.D. was mainly due to intensity of maintenance therapy of protocol LSA2L2 (14). In contrast, less intensive maintenance therapy (6-MP and MTX) of protocol BFM 81 (13) showed a transient growth spurt. Final height equals projected target height. Neither 18-Gy nor gold-198 intrathecally compromised final height.