Therapeutic outcomes of acute promyelocytic leukemia in children

Introduction: In children, acute promyelocytic leukemia is a distinct and underreported entity. The objective of our study is to report the therapeutic outcomes of APL in the pediatric population. Methods: This was a descriptive, retrospective, single-center study including 30 patients diagnosed with APL over an 18-year period. Patients were treated in the Hematology Department of Aziza Othmana Hospital in Tunis. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 11 years, with a sex ratio of 0.87. Half of the patients were classified as high-risk. Post-induction cytologic remission was achieved in 86.6 % of patients. There were five cases of relapse, 60 % of which were early relapses. The 5-year overall survival rate was 70.6 %.The 5-year event-free survival rate was 72 %. The 5-year relapse-free survival rate was 80 %. Conclusion: Although our results were satisfactory, they revealed a poor prognosis for relapsed patients. A larger study focusing on relapse characteristics is needed.