Dexamethasone and prednisone were equally effective as induction therapy for children with newly diagnosed acute lymphocytic leukemia in terms of five-year event-free survival, according to a second interim analysis of EORTC Trial 58951.

A new technique to expand cord blood cells has demonstrated mixed results with myeloid engraftment in patients achieved in an average of 16 days. But results from the preliminary clinical trial indicate that the technique is logistically cumbersome and will most likely require modification before it can be a viable alternative for patients, according to Seattle-based investigators.

Rasburicase (RAS) is superior to allopurinol in adult patients with hematological malignancies whose treatment puts them at high risk for developing tumor lysis syndrome or who have hyperuricemia at baseline, according to a study out of Houston’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.