[Experience with an international study on standard-risk relapsed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (IntReALL SR 2010 study) in Japan].

ABSTRACT

Many effective new agents for relapsed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are now becoming available, and international standard chemotherapy should be developed to optimize use of these agents. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to establish a standard treatment, but few have been conducted for relapsed childhood ALL in Japan due to the small patient population. Participation in international RCTs is necessary to access sufficient patients for informative study results, but differences in approved drugs and healthcare systems between countries make this challenging. In 2014, the Japanese Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Study Group (JPLSG) participated in an international study on standard-risk relapsed childhood ALL (IntReALL SR 2010) involving two RCTs and multiple drugs not approved in Japan, which was addressed by replacing the unapproved drugs with alternative approved drugs with the same or similar efficacy. This article discusses the historical background of treatment development for relapsed childhood ALL, our experience in participating in the IntReALL SR 2010 trial, and prospects for treating relapsed childhood ALL.