Abstract
In the treatment of overt meningeal leukaemia the problem is not that of achieving remission, but rather that of preventing early recurrence. Without additional CNS therapy, meningeal leukaemia recurs within a median time of around three months (Selawry and Odom, 1968; Sullivan et al., 1975a). Recurrence can be delayed by maintenance monthly, or 6–8 weekly, intrathecal (IT) injections of methotrexate (MTX) (table 5.1), but permanent eradication of meningeal leukaemia is unlikely by the use of IT drugs alone. This is because penetration of the brain and spinal cord by leukaemic cells by virtue of perivascular cuffing render the deepest-placed cells inaccessible to intrathecally administered drugs (Price and Johnson, 1973).
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© 1979 M. L. N. Willoughby
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Willoughby, M.L.N. (1979). Problems in Management of Childhood CNS Leukaemia. In: Whitehouse, J.M.A., Kay, H.E.M. (eds) CNS Complications of Malignant Disease. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04285-2_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04285-2_5
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