[Recurrence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia after 12 years of complete remission]

The clinical course of a now twenty-year-old patient is reported. The boy was admitted to our children's hospital at the age of six with the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He was treated according to the Memphis VII protocol established by Pinkel et al. Complete remission was obtained. After five years, therapy was finished. The boy was disease free in the following years. Growth and puberty development were normal. The boy was admitted again at the age of 18 5/12 years when bone marrow aspiration revealed lymphoblasts of the common-ALL type. After a treatment according to the national (BFM-)ALL therapy study a complete remission was obtained again. The patient is still under maintenance therapy. Clinical and laboratory data are reported. The frequency of second malignancies following cytostatic therapy is discussed.