Treatment of children with advanced-stage lymphoblastic lymphoma with Pegaspargase

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of pegaspargase taking place of L-asparaginase to treat children with advanced-stage LBL on the Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma-Berlin-Frankfurt- Munster 95 regimen. 54 newly diagnosed patients with stage Ⅲ or Ⅳ LBL and without any treatment before were enrolled in this study. pegaspargase took place of L-asparaginase in NHL-BFM95. The complications and treatment responses of patients treated on the modified NHL-BFM-95 protocol and BFM-95 protocol were then evaluated respectively. For patients with LBL, compared NHL-BFM 95 protocol with modified NHL-BFM 95 protocol, the CR rate, EFS, OS were similar. Stage 4 myelosuppression was the most common complication in two groups. Besides that, among 31 patients receiving pegaspargase, coagulation defects was the most common complication. The other 23 patients had receivied BFM-95 protocol. Allergic reaction was the most common complication.Although a few patients receiving pegaspargase experienced some complications, all of them were well tolerated and recovered soon after associated symptomatic treatment. Obviouslly, our study showed that L-asparaginase could be replaced by pegaspargase safely without affecting the OS and EFS.