TY - JOUR
T1 - Folate fortification and survival of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
AU - Kennedy, Deborah A.
AU - Grupp, Sandy
AU - Greenberg, Mark
AU - Koren, Gideon
N1 - Funding Information:
No sources of funding were used to conduct this study or prepare this manuscript. Deborah Kennedy is supported by a career development grant from the SickKids Foundation. Mark Greenberg holds the POGO Chair in Childhood Cancer Control at the University of Toronto. Gideon Koren holds the Research Leadership for Better Pharmacotherapy During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (The Hospital for Sick Children) and the Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology (University of Western Ontario). Sandy Grupp has no conflicts of interest to declare that are directly relevant to the content of this study.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Background: The antifolate drug methotrexate is a mainstay of treatment for children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). There have been concerns regarding the impact of folate fortification on the efficacy of methotrexate therapy and hence treatment outcomes of ALL. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether folate fortification has been associated with a higher incidence of adverse outcomes in children with ALL. Methods: In a retrospective, population-based study, using data from the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), Ontario, Canada, and the WHO, we examined yearly and population-adjusted mortality rates in Canada, the US, and several European countries. Results: Our analysis demonstrates that there has been a decreasing trend in ALL mortality numbers and rates between 1999 and 2005 in the US and Canada, in a similar degree to those in European countries where folate fortification is not implemented. Conclusion: These data suggest that folate fortification does not appear to have caused an increase in therapeutic failures in children with ALL.
AB - Background: The antifolate drug methotrexate is a mainstay of treatment for children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). There have been concerns regarding the impact of folate fortification on the efficacy of methotrexate therapy and hence treatment outcomes of ALL. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether folate fortification has been associated with a higher incidence of adverse outcomes in children with ALL. Methods: In a retrospective, population-based study, using data from the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), Ontario, Canada, and the WHO, we examined yearly and population-adjusted mortality rates in Canada, the US, and several European countries. Results: Our analysis demonstrates that there has been a decreasing trend in ALL mortality numbers and rates between 1999 and 2005 in the US and Canada, in a similar degree to those in European countries where folate fortification is not implemented. Conclusion: These data suggest that folate fortification does not appear to have caused an increase in therapeutic failures in children with ALL.
KW - Acute-lymphoblastic-leukaemia, treatment
KW - Children
KW - Folic-acid, therapeutic use
KW - Methotrexate, therapeutic use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79955105736&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2165/11588130-000000000-00000
DO - 10.2165/11588130-000000000-00000
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C2 - 21366358
AN - SCOPUS:79955105736
SN - 1174-5878
VL - 13
SP - 193
EP - 196
JO - Paediatric Drugs
JF - Paediatric Drugs
IS - 3
ER -