Outcome of ALL With ALL-BFM-95 Protocol in Nepal

Data on survival outcomes in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) originating from Nepal are limited. We aim to present the real-world data on treatment outcomes of patients with de novo ALL treated with pediatric ALL-Berlin-Frankfurt-Muenster (BFM)-95 protocol in Nepal.

We used the medical records of 103 consecutive patients with ALL treated in our center from 2013 to 2016 to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) and analyzed the effects of clinicopathologic factors on survival outcomes in patients with ALL.

The 3-year OS and RFS in the entire cohort was 89.4% (95% CI, 82.1 to 96.7) and 87.3% (95% CI, 79.8 to 94.7), with a mean OS and RFS of 79.4 months (95% CI, 74.2 to 84.5) and 76.6 months (95% CI, 70.8 to 82.4), respectively. Patients with prednisone good response (PGR) showed better mean OS and RFS, whereas complete marrow response on day 33 was associated with better mean OS alone. Patients with Philadelphia (Ph)-positive ALL showed worse mean RFS compared to those with Ph-negative status. On multivariate analysis, PGR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.11; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.49; P = .004) and sagittal vein thrombosis (SVT; HR, 5.95; 95% CI, 1.30 to 27.18; P = .02) were the only independent predictors of OS and RFS, respectively. Adverse events on BFM-95 protocol included SVT (4.9%), peripheral neuropathy (7.8%), myopathy (20.4%), hyperglycemia (24.3%), intestinal obstruction (7.8%), avascular necrosis of femur (6.8%), and mucositis (46%).

BFM-95 protocol appears to be a safe and effective strategy in adolescent and young adults and adult Nepalese population with ALL with a low toxicity profile.