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Intensity of immunosuppressive therapy and the incidence of pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis
Author(s) -
Hughes Walter T.,
Feldman Sandor,
Aur Rhomes J. A.,
Verzosa Manuel S.,
Hustu H. Omar,
Simone Joseph V.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.2820360612
Subject(s) - medicine , pneumocystis carinii , incidence (geometry) , pneumonitis , chemotherapy , maintenance therapy , leukemia , radiation therapy , surgery , pneumonia , gastroenterology , lung , physics , optics , pneumocystis jirovecii
One hundred and forty‐nine children with acute lymphocytic leukemia treated according to a prospective protocol were randomized after induction of remission and central nervous system (CNS) irradiation to receive maintenance chemotherapy with 1, 2, 3, or 4 chemotherapy agents. The incidence of P. carinii pneumonitis (PCP) was 5.0, 2.3, 2.2, and 22.4%, respectively, during the period of maintenance therapy. An additional 31 patients enrolled in the same study were placed in special categories to receive three drugs for maintenance plus supplemental chemotherapy or irradiation because of CNS leukemia on admission, remission failure, mediastinal mass, or generalized lymphosarcoma without bone marrow involvement. The incidences of PCP in these groups were 16.7, 30.0, 35.7, and 0%, respectively, during the period of maintenance therapy.