A retrospective comparison of Escherichia coli and polyethylene glycol-conjugated asparaginase for the treatment of adolescents and adults with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Data from clinical trials suggest that polyethylene glycol-conjugated asparaginase (PEG asparaginase) should be recommended as a replacement for ( ) asparaginase in the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) due to its prolonged effect, similar safety profile and convenience. The present study investigated the efficacy and safety of PEG asparaginase in adolescents and adults with newly diagnosed ALL. The clinical data of 122 patients, ≥14 years old with ALL, who received either PEG asparaginase or asparaginase as part of an induction regimen, were retrospectively analyzed. The results revealed that PEG asparaginase had a comparable complete remission rate (95.65 vs. 90.79%), median overall survival time (14.07 vs. 16.29 months) and median relapse-free survival time (10.00 vs. 8.57 months) with asparaginase. In addition, patients