Blood, 1960, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 350-359.
© 1960 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
The Comparison of 6-Mercaptopurine with the Combination
of 6-Mercaptopurine and Azaserine in the Treatment of
Acute Leukemia in Children: Results of a
Cooperative Study
R. M. HEYN 1,
C. A. BRUBAKER 2,
J. H. BURCHENAL 3,
H. G. CRAMBLETT 4, and
J. A. WOLFF 5
1 Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
2 Hematology Research Division, Children’s Hospital Society of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
3 Department of
Internal Medicine, Cornell University Medical College and the Sloan-Kettering Institute,
New York, N. Y.
4 Department of Pediatrics, State University of Iowa, Iowa
City, Ia.
5 College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New
York, N. Y.
The results of the first study of the Leukemia Chemotherapy Cooperative
Study Group A for the evaluation of two treatment programs in acute leukemia are reported. The cases were accumulated in a period of 15 months.
One hundred and twenty-five of the 168 patients started on the study were
considered adequately treated and suitable for analysis. The 43 cases excluded from evaluation consisted of patients whose therapy was changed to
steroids, those expiring while on treatment, and those lost for follow-up or
drug errors. In 125 cases of previously untreated acute leukemia in children,
no significant difference was seen in the percentage of complete remissions
obtained when 6-mercaptopurine was used alone or when 6-mercaptopurine
and azaserine were used in combination.
The duration of the remissions obtained with the combined therapy was not
significantly longer than when 6-mercaptopurine was used alone.
Submitted on June 10, 1959
Accepted on July 23, 1959
