Medical Research Council Working Party on Leukaemia in Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Trial 12

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare two induction schedules with respect to achievement and duration of remission, survival, toxicity, and supportive care requirements in children with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia.
• Compare 4 versus 5 courses of treatment in total (where the final course is either chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation) with respect to remission duration, relapse rates, deaths in remission, and overall survival in these patients.
• Compare the value of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation versus conventional chemotherapy with respect to remission duration, relapse rates, deaths in remission, and overall survival in these patients.
• Reduce toxicity without compromising survival by restricting the number of patients receiving bone marrow transplant in this study.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are first randomized to one of two induction treatment arms.

• Induction Arm I: Patients receive 2 courses of cytarabine IV push every 12 hours on days 1-10 or 1-8 (20 or 16 doses); daunorubicin IV over 6 hours on days 1, 3, and 5; and etoposide IV over 4 hours on days 1-5 (5 doses).
• Induction Arm II: Patients receive 2 courses of mitoxantrone IV over 6 hours on days 1, 3, and 5; cytarabine IV push every 12 hours on days 1-10 or 1-8 (20 or 16 doses); and etoposide IV over 4 hours on days 1-5 (5 doses).

Patients with no CNS disease at diagnosis receive 3 courses of triple intrathecal therapy (methotrexate, cytarabine, and hydrocortisone), one after each of the first 3 courses of chemotherapy. Patients with CNS disease receive at least 6 courses of intrathecal therapy (2 courses per week), then monthly courses until the final course of chemotherapy is complete.