The response of acute childhood leukemia to an initial and a second course of prednisone

In untreated acute childhood leukemia the number, duration, and quality of remissions induced by prednisone when used alone and again for the second time were determined. The remission rates for therapy in 46 children with untreated disease, and in 41 children in relapse for the second time, were 59 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively. The median duration of remission in the untreated patients was 38 days; for patients in relapse it was 35 days. The median time to detect remission was 28 days in each group.