Chemotherapy for Relapsed Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Results of the BFM Study Group

In recent years front-line therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in childhood has been intensified in most international trials [1, 2, 3]. In Germany, intensive induction/consolidation and reinduction regimens have been applied since the mid seventies [4, 5, 6]. With these types of front-line therapy cure rates have now approached 70–75%. However, increasing success with more aggressive front-line protocols has led to challenges for effective salvage regimens for the 25% of children in whom the first treatment attempt has failed. Systematic trials for relapsed ALL have been carried out in the BFM study group since 1983.