Volume 34 Number 2 (2025)
Outcome of Induction Chemotherapy with the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster-95 Regimen in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Chowdhury N1 , Kabir A2 , Islam MM3 , Das S4 , Wasim M5 , Karim MN6 , Alam MM7 , Islam MN8 , Banik J9 , Fardous J10 , Hassan MK11
Mymensingh Med J 2025 Apr; 34 (2): 412-419
PMID: 40160059
Abstract
Response to induction chemotherapy plays a major role in prognosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The objective of this study was to explore the outcome of induction chemotherapy with the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (BFM) -95 regimen in ALL patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. This quasi-experimental study was conducted among 50 ALL patients admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2020 to June 2020. All patients received induction therapy with the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster-95 regimen following pre-induction prednisolone therapy. Outcomes were defined as complete remission (CR) and undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD). There was significant clinical and hematological improvement after induction chemotherapy with the BFM regimen. A total of 68.0% patients achieved complete remission. Negative MRD was achieved in 66.0% patients. In addition, 72.0% of the patients had a good response to pre-induction prednisolone therapy. Positive outcomes were not associated with the clinical presentation or disease characteristics of the ALL patients. Induction chemotherapy with the BFM-95 regimen is effective in the majority of ALL patients irrespective of clinical presentation or disease characteristics.
Keywords: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster regimen, Complete remission, Minimal residual diseases, Prednisolone response
- Junior Consultant (Medicine)