Treatment of Childhood Leukemias in Underprivileged Countries
2003; Humana Press; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1007/978-1-59259-307-1_23
Autores Tópico(s)Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research
ResumoChildhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a remarkable success story in pediatric oncology. At present in the developed world, two-thirds or more of children with ALL can be cured with contemporary treatment (1). Efforts are now being made to enhance the efficacy of the existing regimens while reducing their toxic side effects based on advances in the molecular and immunologic characterization of leukemic cells (2). These progressive developments in the management of leukemias in children have unfortunately not translated into reality in the “developing world.” Huge inequities exist in the management of children with leukemias in high- and lowincome countries. It is estimated that only 1 of 10 children with acute leukemia receive any kind of treatment in these less privileged countries (3). Hence, even though 70% of childhood ALL is currently curable, it is not 70% curable worldwide, since 90% of the world’s children do not have access to curative treatment (4). The success rates among the children who receive treatment are also far from satisfactory.
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