International Collaborative Treatment Protocol For Children And Adolescents With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Rationale/Purpose: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more cancer cells. It is not yet known which combination chemotherapy regimen is more effective in treating young patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This trial is studying several different combination chemotherapy regimens to compare how well they work in treating young patients with ALL. Study objectives Primary study questions: * Non high-risk (non-HR) precursor-B ALL (pB-ALL) patients with TEL/AML1-negative ALL or unknown TEL/AML1 status and flow cytometry minimal residual disease (MRD) in bone marrow on day 15 \<0.1% or with TEL/AML1-positive ALL (randomized study question R1): Can the daunorubicin dose in Protocol IA be safely reduced by 50 % with a non-inferior EFS and a reduction of toxicity (treatment-related mortality and AE/SAE in Protocol I)? * Patients with pB-ALL and risk group medium risk (MR) (randomized study question R2): Can the clinical outcome be improved by protracted asparagine depletion achieved through application of intensified PEG-L-asparaginase during reintensification and early maintenance? * High-risk (HR) patients (as identified by day 33 - randomized study question RHR): Can the clinical outcome be improved by protracted exposure to PEG-L-asparaginase during Protocol IB? Secondary study questions: * Standard risk (SR) patients identified by at least one sensitive marker: Is the clinical outcome comparable to that obtained in SR patients (identified with two sensitive markers) in AIEOP-BFM ALL 2000, or can the outcome even be improved with the use of PEG-L-asparaginase instead of native E. coli L-ASP? * T-ALL non-HR patients: Can the high level of outcome which was obtained for these patients in study AIEOP-BFM ALL 2000 be preserved or even improved with the use of PEG-L-ASP instead of native E. coli L-ASP? * HR patients with persisting high MRD levels despite the use of the HR blocks in the intensified consolidation phase "MRD Non-Responders": Is it possible to improve the outcome and to achieve a further reduction of leukemic cell burden by administration of an innovative treatment schedule (DNX-FLA)? * Patients participating in the randomized asparaginase studies (pB-ALL/MR, HR): Are asparaginase activity and asparaginase antibodies associated with development of allergic reactions, and do they have an effect on the outcome of the patients? * What is the relative value of different methods of MRD monitoring in the definition of alternative stratification systems within a BFM-oriented protocol?

Sex

All

Minimum age

1 Year

Maximum age

18 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia
* age ≥ 1 year (\> 365 days) and \< 18 years old (up to 17 years old and 365 days)
* no Ph+ (BCR/ABL or t(9;22)-positive) ALL
* no evidence of pregnancy or lactation period
* no participation in another clinical study
* patient enrolled in a participating center
* written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* pre-treatment with cytostatic drugs
* pre-treatment with cytostatic drugs
* steroid pre-treatment with ≥ 1 mg/kg/d for more than two weeks during the last month before diagnosis
* treatment started according to another protocol
* underlying diseases that prohibit treatment according to the protocol
* ALL diagnosed as second malignancy steroid pre-treatment with ≥ 1 mg/kg/d for more than two weeks during the last month before diagnosis

• BACKGROUNDConter V, Bartram CR, Valsecchi MG, Schrauder A, Panzer-Grumayer R, Moricke A, Arico M, Zimmermann M, Mann G, De Rossi G, Stanulla M, Locatelli F, Basso G, Niggli F, Barisone E, Henze G, Ludwig WD, Haas OA, Cazzaniga G, Koehler R, Silvestri D, Bradtke J, Parasole R, Beier R, van Dongen JJ, Biondi A, Schrappe M. Molecular response to treatment redefines all prognostic factors in children and adolescents with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia: results in 3184 patients of the AIEOP-BFM ALL 2000 study. Blood. 2010 Apr 22;115(16):3206-14. doi: 10.1182/blood-2009-10-248146. Epub 2010 Feb 12. PMID 20154213
• BACKGROUNDFlohr T, Schrauder A, Cazzaniga G, Panzer-Grumayer R, van der Velden V, Fischer S, Stanulla M, Basso G, Niggli FK, Schafer BW, Sutton R, Koehler R, Zimmermann M, Valsecchi MG, Gadner H, Masera G, Schrappe M, van Dongen JJ, Biondi A, Bartram CR; International BFM Study Group (I-BFM-SG). Minimal residual disease-directed risk stratification using real-time quantitative PCR analysis of immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene rearrangements in the international multicenter trial AIEOP-BFM ALL 2000 for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia. 2008 Apr;22(4):771-82. doi: 10.1038/leu.2008.5. Epub 2008 Jan 31. PMID 18239620
• BACKGROUNDMoricke A, Zimmermann M, Reiter A, Henze G, Schrauder A, Gadner H, Ludwig WD, Ritter J, Harbott J, Mann G, Klingebiel T, Zintl F, Niemeyer C, Kremens B, Niggli F, Niethammer D, Welte K, Stanulla M, Odenwald E, Riehm H, Schrappe M. Long-term results of five consecutive trials in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia performed by the ALL-BFM study group from 1981 to 2000. Leukemia. 2010 Feb;24(2):265-84. doi: 10.1038/leu.2009.257. Epub 2009 Dec 10. PMID 20010625
• DERIVEDGottschalk H, Moricke A, Conter V, Schrappe M, Stary J, Cario G, Dworzak M, Attarbaschi A, Barbaric D, Locatelli F, Bodmer N, Elitzur S, Silvestri D, Dalla-Pozza L, Bergmann AK, Flotho C, Buldini B, Stanulla M, Izraeli S, Rizzari C, Bourquin JP, Biondi A, Valsecchi MG, Zimmermann M. Reducing Daunorubicin in Induction Therapy in Children With B-Lineage ALL With Favorable Prognosis: Results of Phase III Trial AIEOP-BFM ALL 2009. J Clin Oncol. 2025 Dec 10;43(35):3739-3749. doi: 10.1200/JCO-25-01357. Epub 2025 Nov 10.