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Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia: Achievements and Prospects

  • Chapter
Paediatric Oncology

Part of the book series: Recent Results in Cancer Research ((RECENTCANCER,volume 88))

Abstract

The last major improvement in the outlook for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) took place around the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the more or less simultaneous introduction of early prophylactic treatment of the central nervous system (CNS) and continuing combination chemotherapy. Since that time, although detailed examination of all aspects of treatment has led to minor advances, there has been no further great stride forward, and treatment remains eventually unsuccessful in about half of all such patients. Meanwhile, however, real advances have been made in the classification of the acute leukaemias, and the prognostic significance of various presenting features has been more closely defined. This new knowledge has influenced the design of therapeutic trials, but it remains to be seen whether prognostic differences can be overcome by the use of more aggressive approaches to the less favourable groups.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK

    R. M. Hardisty

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  1. Department of Clinical Oncology, Western General Hospital, Grewe Road, EH4 2XU, Edinburgh, UK

    William Duncan

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© 1983 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg

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Hardisty, R.M. (1983). Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia: Achievements and Prospects. In: Duncan, W. (eds) Paediatric Oncology. Recent Results in Cancer Research, vol 88. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-82034-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-82034-2_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-82036-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-82034-2

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