Cancer Treatment Reviews
Volume 27, Issue 6 , Pages 327-337 , December 2001

Remission induction therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: clinical and cellular pharmacology of vincristine, corticosteroids, L-asparaginase and anthracyclines

  • M Ronghe

      Affiliations

    • Department of Paediatric Oncology, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, St Michael's Hill, Bristol
    • ,
  • G.A.A Burke

      Affiliations

    • Department of Paediatric Oncology, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, St Michael's Hill, Bristol
    • ,
  • S.P Lowis

      Affiliations

    • Department of Paediatric Oncology, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, St Michael's Hill, Bristol
    • ,
  • E.J Estlin

      Affiliations

    • Department of Paediatric Oncology, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Pendlebury, Manchester, UK

References 

  1. Ortega JA, Nesbit ME, Donaldson MH. L-asparaginase, vincristine and prednisolone for induction of first remission in acute lymphocytic leukaemia. Cancer Res. 1977;37:535–540
  2. Sallan SE, Camitta BM, Cassady JR, Nathan DG, Frei E. Intermittent combination chemotherapy with adriamycin for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: clinical results. Blood. 1978;51:425–433
  3. Reiter A, Schrappe M, Ludwig W-D, Hiddemann W, Sauter S, Henze G, et al. Chemotherapy in 998 unselected childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients. Results and conclusions of the multi-centre trial ALL-BFM 86. Blood. 1994;84:3122–3133
  4. Chessells JM, Bailey C, Richards SM. Intensification of treatment and survival in all children with lymphoblastic leukaemia: results of UK Medical Research Council trial UKALL X. Lancet. 1995;345:143–148
  5. Gaynon PS, Desai AA, Bostrom BC, Hutchinson RJ, Lange BJ, Nachman JB, et al. Early response to therapy and outcome in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Cancer. 1997;80:1717–1726
  6. Gajjar A, Ribeiro R, Hancock ML, Rivera GK, Mahmoud H, Sandlund JT, et al. Persistence of circulating blasts after 1 week of multi-agent chemotherapy confers a poor prognosis in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Blood. 1995;86:1292–1295
  7. Jacquy C, Delepaut B, Van Daele S, Vaerman JL, Zenebergh A, Brichard B, et al. A prospective study of minimal residual disease in childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: MRD level at the end of induction is a strong predictive factor of relapse. Br J Haematol. 1997;98:140–146
  8. van Dongen J JM, Seriu T, Panzer-Grumayer ER, Biondi A, Pongers-Willemse MJ, Corral L, et al. Prognostic value of minimal residual disease in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in childhood. Lancet. 1998;352:1731–1738
  9. Pierters R, den Boer ML, Durian M, Janka G, Schmiegelow K, Kaspers GJ, et al. Relation between age, immunophenotype and in vitro drug resistance in 395 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – implications for treatment of infants. Leukaemia. 1998;12:1344–1348
  10. Kaspers G JL, Veerman A JP, Pieters R, van Zantwijk CH, Smets LA, van Wering ER, et al. In vitro cellular drug resistance and prognosis in newly diagnosed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Blood. 1997;90:2723–2729
  11. Janka-Schaub GE, Harms DO, den Boer ML, Veerman AJ, Pieters R. In vitro drug resistance as independent prognostic factor in the study COALL-05-92 treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia; two tiered classification of treatments based on accepted risk criteria and drug sensitivity profiles in study COALL-06-97. Klin Padiatr. 1999;99:233–238
  12. Rowinsky EK, Donehower RC. Antimicrotubule agents. In:  Chabner BA,  Longo DL editor. Cancer Chemotherapy and Biotherapy: Principles and Practice. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company; 1996;p. 263–293
  13. da Silva CP, de Olivera CR, De Lima M. Apoptosis as a mechanism of cell death induced by different chemotherapeutic drugs in human leukaemic T-lymphocytes. Biochem Pharmacol. 1996;51:1331–1340
  14. Kobayashi H, Takemura Y, Ohnuma T. Relationship between tumour cell density and drug concentration and the cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin or vincristine: mechanism of innoculum effects. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1992;31:6–10
  15. Kobayashi H, Takemura Y, Holland JF, Ohnuma T. Vincristine saturation of cellular binding sites and its cytotoxic activity in human lymphoblastic leukaemia cells. Biochem Pharmacol. 1998;55:1229–1234
  16. Horton JK, Houghton PJ, Houghton JA. Relationships between tumour responsiveness, vincristine pharmacokinetics and arrest of mitosis in human tumour xenografts. Biochem Pharmacol. 1988;37:3995–4000
  17. Klumper E, Pieters R, Veerman AP, Huismans DR, Loonen AH, Hahlen K, et al. In vitro cellular drug resistance in children with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood. 1995;86:3861–3868
  18. Thompson EB. Apoptosis and steroid hormones. Mol Endocrinol. 1994;8:665–673
  19. Arya SK, Wong-Staal F, Gallo RC. Dexamethasone-mediated inhibition of human T cell growth factor and gamma-interferon messenger RNA. J Immunol. 1984;133:273–276
  20. Thulasi R, Harbour DV, Thompson EB. Suppression of c-myc is a critical step in glucocorticoid-induced human leukaemic cell lysis. J Biol Chem. 1993;268:18306–18312
  21. Jonat C, Rahmsdorf HJ, Park K-K, Cato AB, Gebel S, Ponta H, et al. Antitumor promotion and anti-inflammation: Down-modulation of AP-1 (Fos/Jun) activity by glucocorticoid hormone. Cell. 1990;62:1189–1204
  22. Stocklin E, Wissler M, Gouilleux F, Groner B. Functional interactions between Stat5 and the glucocorticoid receptor. Nature. 1996;383:726–728
  23. Norman MR, Thompson EB. Characterisation of a glucocorticoid-sensitive human lymphoid cell line. Cancer Res. 1977;37:3785–3791
  24. Wood AC, Elvin P, Hickman JA. Induction of apoptosis by anti-cancer drugs with disparate modes of action: kinetics of cell death and changes in c-myc expression. Br J Cancer. 1995;71:937–941
  25. Ito C, Evans WE, McNinch L, Coustan-Smith E, Mahmoud H, Ching H, et al. Comparative cytotoxicity of dexamethasone and prednisolone in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J Clin Oncol. 1996;14:2370–2376
  26. Quddus FF, Leventhal BG, Boyett JM, Pullen DJ, Crist WM, Borowitz MJ. Glucocorticoid receptors in immunological subtypes of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia cells: a pediatric oncology group study. Cancer Res. 1985;45:6482–6486
  27. Ramdas J, Liu W, Harmon JM. Glucocorticoid-induced cell death requires autoinduction of glucocorticoid receptor expression in human leukaemic T cells. Cancer Res. 1999;59:1378–1385
  28. Geley S, Hartmann BL, Hala M, Strasser-Wozak EM, Kapelari K, Kofler R. Resistance to glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia CEM-C1 cells is due to insufficient glucocorticoid receptor expression. Cancer Res. 1996;56:5033–5038
  29. Kaspers GJ, Veerman AJ, Popp-Snijders C, Lomecky M, Van ZC, Swinkels LM, et al. Comparison of the antileukemic activity in vitro of dexamethasone and prednisolone in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Med Pediatr Oncol. 1996;27:114–121
  30. Pui CH, Costlow ME, Dahl GV, Rivera G, Murphy SB. Response of recurrent acute lymphoblastic leukemia to GC: serial studies of receptor content, in vivo cytokinetic changes and clinical responses. Leukemia Res. 1983;7:747–753
  31. Kato GJ, Quddus FF, Shuster JJ, Boyett J, Pullen JD, Borowitz MJ, et al. High glucocorticoid receptor content of leukemic blasts is a favourable prognostic factor in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood. 1993;82:2304–2309
  32. Müller HJ, Boos J. Use of L-asparaginase in childhood ALL. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 1998;28:97–113
  33. Ueno T, Ohtawa K, Mitsui K, Kodera Y, Hiroto M, Matsushima A, et al. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of leukaemia cells induced by L-asparaginase. Leukemia. 1997;11:1858–1861
  34. Shimizu T, Kubota M, Adachi S, Sano H, Kasai Y, Hashimoto H, et al. Pre-treatment of a human T-lymphoblastoid cell line with L-asparaginase reduces etoposide-induced DNA strand breakage and cytotoxicity. Int J Cancer. 1992;50:644–648
  35. Kiriyama Y, Kubota M, Takimoto T, Kitoh T, Tanizawa A, Akiyama Y, et al. Biochemical characterization of U937 cells resistant to L-asparaginase: The role of asparagine synthase. Leukemia. 1989;3:294–297
  36. Broome JD, Schwartz JH. Differences in the production of L-asparagine in asparaginase-sensitive and resistant lymphoma cells. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1967;138:637–639
  37. Hutson RG, Kitoh T, Moraga Amador DA, Cosic S, Schuster SM, Kilberg MS. Amino acid control of asparagine synthetase: relation to asparaginase resistance in human leukaemia cells. Am J Physiol. 1997;272:C1691–C1699
  38. Fu C, Nandy P, Danenberg P, Avramis VI. Asparaginase (ASNase) induced cytotoxicity depends on the p53 status of the cells. Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res. 1998;39:602
  39. Nandy P, Fu C, Danenberg P, Avramis VI. Apoptosis induced by antimetabolites, taxanes or asparaginases in vitro depends on the p53 status of the leukaemic cells. Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res. 1998;39:602
  40. Asselin BL, Ryan D, Frantz CN, Bernal SD, Leavitt P, Sallan SE, et al. In vitro and in vivo killing of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells by L-asparaginase. Cancer Res. 1989;49:4363–4368
  41. Pieters R, Huismans DR, Loonen AH, Hahlen K, van der Does-van den Berg A, van Wering ER, et al. Relation of cellular drug resistance to long-term clinical outcome in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Lancet. 1991;338:399–403
  42. Asselin BL, Kreissman S, Coppola DJ, Bernal SD, Leavitt PR, Gelber RD, et al. Prognostic significance of early response to a single dose of asparaginase in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 1999;21:6–12
  43. Doroshow JH. Anthracyclines and anthracenediones. In:  Chabner BA,  Longo DL editor. Cancer Chemotherapy and Biotherapy: Principles and Practice. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company; 1996;p. 409–434
  44. Speth P AJ, Linssen P CM, Boezeman J BM, Wessels H MC, Haanen C. Leukaemic cell and plasma daunomycin concentrations after bolus and 72 hour infusion. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1987;20:311–315
  45. Speth P AJ, Linssen P CM, Boezeman J BM, Wessels H MC, Haanen C. Cellular and plasma adriamycin concentrations in long-term infusion therapy of leukaemia patients. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1987;20:305–310
  46. Kokenberg E, Sonneveld P, Sizoa W, Hagenbeek A, Lowenberg B. Cellular pharmacokinetics of daunorubicin: relationships with the response to treatment in patients with acute myeliod leukaemia. J Clin Oncol. 1988;6:802–812
  47. Veerman A JP, Hahlen K, Kamps WA, Van Leeuwen EF, DE vaan G AM, Solbu G, et al. High cure rate with a moderately intensive treatment regimen in non-high-risk childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: Results of protocol ALL VI form the Dutch Childhood Leukaemia Study Group. J Clin Oncol. 1996;14:911–918
  48. Gidding C EM, Meeuwsen-de Boer GJ, Koopmans P, Uges D RA, Kamps WA, de Graaf S SN. Vincristine pharmacokinetics after repetitive dosing in children. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1999;44:203–209
  49. de Graf S SN, Bloemhof H, Vendrig E MM, Uges D RA. Vincristine disposition in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Med Pediatr Oncol. 1995;24:235–240
  50. Crom WR, Siebold SN, Syold T, Uges D RA, Bloemhof H, Rivera G, et al. Pharmacokinetics of vincristine in children and adolescents with acute lymphocytic leukaemia. J Pediatr. 1994;125:642–649
  51. Pinkerton CR, McDermott B, Philip T, Biron P, Ardiet C, Vandenberg H, et al. Continuous vincristine infusion as part of a high dose chemoradiotherapy regimen: drug kinetics and toxicity. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1988;22:271–274
  52. Green OC, Winter RJ, Kawahara FS, Phillips LS, Lewy PR, Hart RL, et al. Plasma levels, half-life values, and correlation with physiologic assays for growth and immunity. J Pediatr. 1978;93:299–303
  53. Hill MR, Szefler SJ, Ball BD, Bartoszek M, Brenner AM. Monitoring glucocorticoid therapy: A pharmacokinetic approach. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1990;48:390–398
  54. Choonara I, Wheeldon J, Rayner P, Blackburn M, Lewis I. Pharmacokinetics of prednisolone in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1989;23:392–394
  55. Bannwarth B, Schaeverbeke T, Pehourcq F, Vernhes J-P, D'Yvoire MB, Dehais J. Prednisolone concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid after oral prednisone. Preliminary data. Revue du Rhumatisme (English Edition). 1997;64:301–304
  56. Richter O, Ern B, Reinhardt D, Becker B. Pharmacokinetics of dexamethasone in children. Pediatric Pharmacol. 1983;3:329–337
  57. Balis FM, Lester CM, Chrousos GP, Heideman RL, Poplack DG. Differences in cerebrospinal fluid penetration of: possible relationship to the prevention of meningeal leukemia. J Clin Oncol. 1987;5:202–207
  58. Boos J, Werber G, Ahlke E, Schulze-Westhoff P, Nowak-Göttl U, Würthwein G, et al. Monitoring of asparaginase activity and asparagine levels in children on different asparaginase preparations. Eur J Cancer. 1996;32:1544–1550
  59. Nachman J, Sathe HN, Gaynon PS, Lukens JN, Wolff L, Trigg ME. Augmented Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster Therapy Abrogates the Adverse Prognostic Significance of Slow Early Response to Induction Chemotherapy for Children and Adolescents with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and Unfavourable Presenting Features: A report from the Children's Cancer Group. J Clin Oncol. 1997;15:2222–2230
  60. Asselin BL, Whitin JC, Coppola DJ, Rupp IP, Sallan SE, Cohen HJ. Comparative pharmacokinetic studies of three asparaginase preparations. J Clin Oncol. 1993;11:1780–1786
  61. Müller HJ, Boos J. Use of L-asparaginase in childhood ALL. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 1998;28:97–113
  62. Woo MH, Hak LJ, Storm MC, Sandlund JT, Ribeiro RC, Rivera GK, et al. Hypersensitivity or development of antibodies to asparaginase does not impact on treatment outcome of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. J Clin Oncol. 2000;18:1525–1532
  63. Heyn R, Beatty E, Hammond D, Pierce M, Murphy ML, Severo N. Vincristine in the treatment of acute leukaemia in children. Pediatrics. 1996;38:82–91
  64. Karon M, Freireich E, Frei E. The role of vincristine in the treatment of childhood acute leukaemia. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1966;7:332–339
  65. Hyman CB, Sturgeon P. Prednisolone therapy of acute lymphatic leukemia in children. Cancer. 1956;9:965–970
  66. Hyman CB, Borda E, Brubaker C, Hammond D, Sturgeon P. Prednisolone in childhood leukemia. Comparison of interrupted with continuous therapy. Pediatrics. 1959;24:1005–1008
  67. Wolff JA, Brubaker CA, Murphy ML, Pierce MI, Severo N. Prednisolone therapy of acute childhood leukemia: prognosis and duration of response in 330 treated patients. J Pediatrics. 1967;70:626–631
  68. Ranney HM, Gellhorn A. The effect of massive prednisone and prednisolone therapy on acute leukemia and malignant lymphomas. Am J Med. 1957;22:405–413
  69. Leikin SL, Brubaker C, Hartmann JR, Murphy ML, Wolff JA, Perrin E. Varying prednisolone dosage in remission induction of previously untreated childhood leukemia. Cancer. 1968;21:346–351
  70. Schwartz CL, Thompson EB, Gelber RD, Young ML, Chilton D, Cohen HJ, et al. Improved response with higher corticosteroid dose in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. J Clin Oncol. 2001;19:1040–1046
  71. Kaspers GJ, Pieters R, Van ZC, Van WE, Van D, Does-Van DB, et al. Prednisolone resistance in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: vitro–vivo correlations and cross-resistance to other drugs. Blood. 1998;92:259–266
  72. Rausen A, Glidewell OJ. L-asparaginase (L-ASP) in advanced childhood leukemia: comparative trial of drug schedules singly and in combination. Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res. 1970;11:66
  73. Ertel IJ, Nesbit ME, Hammond D, Weiner J, Sather H. Effective dose of L-asparaginase for induction of remission in previously treated children with acute lymphocytic leukemia: A Report from the Children's Cancer Study Group. Cancer Res. 1979;39:3893–3896
  74. Ahlke E, Nowak-Göttl U, Schultze-westhoff P, Werber G, Börste H, Würthwein G, et al. Dose reduction of asparaginase under pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic control during induction therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Br J Haematol. 1997;96:675–681
  75. Gentili D, Conter V, Rizzari C, Tscuemperlin B, Orlandoni D, D'Incalci M, et al. L-asparaginase depletion in plasma and cerebro-spinal fluid of children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia during subsequent exposures to Erwinia L-asparaginase. Ann Oncol. 1996;7:725–730
  76. Woo MH, Hak LJ, Storm MC, Gajjar AJ, Sandlund JT, Harrison Pl , et al. Cerebrospinal fluid asparagine concentrations after Escherichia coli asparaginase in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. J Clin Oncol. 1999;17:1568–1573
  77. Dibenedetto SP, Di Cataldo A, Ragusa R, Meli C, Lo Nigro L. Levels of L-asparagine in CSF after intramuscular administration of asparaginase from Erwinia in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J Clin Oncol. 1995;13:339–344
  78. Kokenberg E, Sonneveld P, Sizoa W, Hagenbeek A, Lowenberg B. Cellular pharmacokinetics of daunorubicin: relationships with the response to treatment in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. J Clin Oncol. 1988;6:802–812
  79. Galettis P, Boutagy J, Ma D DF. Daunorubicin pharmacokinetics and the correlation with P-glycoprotein and response in patients with acute leukaemia. Br J Cancer. 1994;70:324–329
  80. Otten J, Sucui S, Lutz P, Benoit Y, Robert A, Thyss A, et al. The importance of L-asparaginase in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children: Results of the EORTC 58881 randomised phase III trial showing greater efficiency of E. coli as compared to Erwinia asparaginase. Blood. 1996;88:669a

PII: S0305-7372(01)90243-9

doi: 10.1053/ctrv.2001.0243

Cancer Treatment Reviews
Volume 27, Issue 6 , Pages 327-337 , December 2001

Article Tools