[Long-term results of combined treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia in children and adolescents with gene therapy].

Aim: To analyse the results of treatment of children and adolescents with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) including polychemotherapy and ATRA (protocols APL 93, 98 and 2003).

Material And Methods: The course of the disease, modification of the treatment protocols with reduction of anthracyclines and ATRA doses, results of molecular monitoring of PML/RARalpha transcript have been analysed for 107 APL patients.

Results: For prognosis of the disease important are initial characteristics of the patient and the time of the tumor regress assessed by molecular methods--establishment of molecular remission and molecular recurrence.

Conclusions: In APL it is necessary to conduct molecular monitoring especially in patients at high risk and with poor prognosis in a decrease of treatment intensity for toxicity relief. Detection of molecular recurrence is indication for treatment. To raise efficacy of APL recurrence therapy it is necessary to design a special updated protocol.