Treatment of relapsed acute lymphocytic leukemia in adults.

Thirty-three patients with ALL/AUL in first relapse were treated with an induction of prednisone, vindesine, daunorubicin, Erwinia asparaginase, i.t. MTX (phase I), high-dose cytarabine, and etoposide (phase II). Twenty-one (64%) achieved a complete remission, one a partial remission. Side effects of induction-phase I were predominantly hematological with subsequent infections and gastrointestinal toxicity. In phase II some patients had additional cutaneous, ocular, and hepatic toxicity. The treatment efficiently induced remissions with tolerable toxicity in relapsed ALL. The disease-free survival, however, needs to be improved.