Outcome of Induction Chemotherapy with the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster-95 Regimen in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Abstract

Response to induction chemotherapy plays a major role in prognosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The objective of this study was to explore the outcome of induction chemotherapy with the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (BFM) -95 regimen in ALL patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. This quasi-experimental study was conducted among 50 ALL patients admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2020 to June 2020. All patients received induction therapy with the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster-95 regimen following pre-induction prednisolone therapy. Outcomes were defined as complete remission (CR) and undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD). There was significant clinical and hematological improvement after induction chemotherapy with the BFM regimen. A total of 68.0% patients achieved complete remission. Negative MRD was achieved in 66.0% patients. In addition, 72.0% of the patients had a good response to pre-induction prednisolone therapy. Positive outcomes were not associated with the clinical presentation or disease characteristics of the ALL patients. Induction chemotherapy with the BFM-95 regimen is effective in the majority of ALL patients irrespective of clinical presentation or disease characteristics.