During the six years from October 1975 to October 1981, 370 children were diagnosed as having ALL at Hacettepe Children’s Hospital. Two-hundred sixty-two children were able to enter treatment protocols. Complete remission was obtained in 226 children (86%). In 197 patients (75%) remission was obtained with a combination of PRED + VCR and in 29 patients (11%) by the addition of a third or more agents. One-hundred eighteen patients (52%) who did not keep their treatment appointments or receive irregular chemotherapy were dropped from the treatment protocol. The remaining 108 children received regular and continuous chemotherapy. Relapse occurred in 49 patients (45%) within 2 to 29 months (mean 11.5 months). Treatment could be discontinued in only 12 patients (11%) who remained in initial remission for 3 years. Relapse occurred in only one girl 9 months after cessation of therapy. In our series the CNS relapse rate was 4.5% in 108 patients who received cranial prophylaxis and regular chemotherapy.

The prognosis in our patients was considerably different from the results in developed countries. We come to the conclusion that poor socio-economic conditions should be considered as a poor prognostic factor in childhood leukemia.

Keywords: acute lymphocytic leukemia, leukemia in children