Higher Survival Advantage with Hyper-CVAD Chemotherapy Regimen Before Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with High Risk Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Two-Center Experience

Abstract

While promising results have been achieved in the treatment of childhood, the optimal initial treatment for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has not yet been defined. Hyper-CVAD has become a widely used treatment for approximately 2 decades in the treatment of adult ALL. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 30 patients treated with Hyper-CVAD at two centers between 2014 and 2020. In all (n=30) patients treated with Hyper-CVAD, complete response (CR) rate was 86.7%, induction mortality was 10%, refractory disease was 3.3%, the median overall survival (OS) was 38 months (95% CI 7.78–68.2 months), the median disease-free survival (DFS) was 29 months (95% CI 9–49 months), the 2-year OS rate was 56.5%, and the 2-year DFS was rate 56.7%. For standard risk (n=12) ALL patients, the median OS was 20 months (95% CI 0–43 months), and median DFS was 7 months (95% CI 0–25 months). For high risk (n=18) ALL patients, the median OS was 38 months (95% CI 0–76 months), and median DFS was not reached. These results indicate that Hyper-CVAD regimen should be considered as an option for induction treatment of adult ALL patients who are newly diagnosed and eligible for allo-HSCT.