Abstract
Methotrexate (MTX) and 6-mercaptopurine (6 MP) are common antimetabolites in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) since their introduction in 1947 and 1952 [1, 2]. Originally, these agents were administered separately. However, after empirical evidence for a potentiating efficacy of the combination of both in mice leukemia [3], MTX and 6 MP have also been used in combination in childhood ALL. The enhanced efficacy of combination treatment in children was demonstrated in a study of the Acute Leukemia Group B in 1961 [4].
This work was supported by the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina Cancer Foundation (KWF), grant NUKC 82-3.
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Bökkerink, J.P.M., Damen, F.J.M., Hulscher, M.W., Bakker, M.A.H., De Abreu, R.A. (1990). Biochemical Evidence for Synergistic Combination Treatment with Methotrexate and 6-Mercaptopurine in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In: Büchner, T., Schellong, G., Hiddemann, W., Ritter, J. (eds) Acute Leukemias II. Haematology and Blood Transfusion / Hämatologie und Bluttransfusion, vol 33. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74643-7_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74643-7_20
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