Tolerability of 6-mercaptopurine in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

• Published in: Zhonghua er ke za zhi Vol. 48; no. 4; p. 289
• Main Authors: Ma, Xiao-li, Wang, Bin, Guo, Hai-ying, Zhang, Yong-hong, Zhu, Guang-hua, Duan, Yan-long, Yang, Jing, Zhang, Da-wei, Jin, Ling, Zhang, Rui, Zhang, Li, Xie, Jin, Wu, Min-yuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.04.2010
• Subjects: Adolescent; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic - adverse effects; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic - pharmacology; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic - therapeutic use; Child; Child, Preschool; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Mercaptopurine - adverse effects; Mercaptopurine - pharmacology; Mercaptopurine - therapeutic use; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - drug therapy; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - pathology; Prospective Studies
• ISSN: 0578-1310

6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) has been the backbone of maintenance chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the response to 6-MP is highly variable, adverse events leading to discontinuation or dose-reduction (children intolerant) of 6-MP occur in many children with ALL. The aim of this study was to investigate the tolerability of 6-MP and to optimize thiopurine use. The authors evaluated in a prospective manner the tolerance of 6-MP in ALL children from Oct. 1, 2004 to Sept. 30, 2007 who were newly diagnosed in Beijing Children's Hospital, using BCH-ALL-2003 protocols, during the maintenance therapy and followed up to Sept. 30, 2008. All children had a treatment period of at least 3 months for maintenance therapy. Totally 133 children including 81 boys and 52 girls at median age of 67 months (18 - 188 months), 100% of the patients went into complete remission (CR) on day 33 of induction chemotherapy, and the median time to CR was 26 months (6 - 47 months). All the children had maintenance therapy from