Blood, 1966, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 490-498.
© 1966 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
The Influence of Chemotherapy on
Survival in Acute Leukemia
III. A Comparison of Patients Treated During 1958-1964 with
Those Treated in Two Sequentially Preceding Periods
A. MANGALIK 1,
D. R. BOGGS 1,
M. M. WINTROBE 1, and
G. E. CARTWRIGHT 1
1 Department of Medicine, University of Utah College of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Three-hundred and ninety-nine patients with acute leukemia examined
during the period 1947-1964 were divided into three sequential series and
their survival, from diagnosis to death, was compared.
A statistically significant increase in duration of survival for myeloblastic
leukemia from a median of 2 to 5 months occurred between series I and
series III. This is the first convincing evidence that 6-mercaptopurine therapy
influences survival in myeloblastic leukemia.
A steady increase in median survival of patients with lymphoblastic
leukemia from 4 to 8 to 12 months was found in the three series. The results
of analysis of these series are compared to other reported series. The hypothesis
—that the longer survivals reported for patients treated in hematology clinics
compared to that of patients selected from population areas reflects patient
selection—was examined and appeared unlikely.
Submitted on May 11, 1965
Accepted on August 6, 1965
