Prognostic significance of methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine dosage during maintenance chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Tolerance of full-dose methotrexate/6-mercaptopurine (MTX/6MP) maintenance therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) without side effects could reflect insufficient systemic drug exposure, and drug withdrawals due to toxicity might reduce the chance of cure. The present study included 122 children with non-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a median follow-up of 84 months. Leukopenia and hepatotoxicity were calculated as weighted means of all white cell counts and all serum aminotransferase measurements, respectively, registered for each patient. Forty-five patients relapsed (30 in bone marrow). Patients tolerating an average dose of MTX of more than 75% of the recommended protocol doses and having cumulated drug withdrawals of less than 1% of the period of maintenance therapy had an increased risk of hematological relapse (p = 0.008) as well as of any relapse (p = 0.03) when compared to the remaining patients. Patients with a cumulative withdrawal of MTX or of 6MP for greater than 10% of the maintenance therapy period had an increased risk of hematological relapse (MTX: p = 0.009, 6MP: p less than 0.0001) and of any relapse (MTX: p = 0.16, 6MP: p = 0.0002). Liver toxicity was the main reason for cumulative long-term drug withdrawals. However, patients with a mean aminotransferase level above the upper normal limit (40 IU/l) who were kept on therapy (cumulative withdrawals of neither drug for more than 5% of their maintenance therapy period) had a significantly lower risk of hematological relapse (p = 0.02) as well as of any relapse (p = 0.06) than the remaining children. The concept of treating to toxicity seems warranted for maintenance therapy of childhood lymphoblastic leukemia.