Adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL/LBL) have poorer outcomes than pediatric patients. The aim of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis was to compare asparaginase (ASP)-containing pediatric-inspired regimens (PIRs) with hyper-fractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (hyper-CVAD) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with ALL/LBL. Searches included relevant publications up to April 21, 2022. A meta-analysis was conducted in four studies with comparable demographics, to estimate the effects of intervention on rates of response and survival. Patients receiving PIRs were approximately twice as likely to achieve complete response and 1.8 times more likely to survive than patients receiving hyper-CVAD. These results suggest ASP-containing PIRs are associated with improved outcomes in AYAs compared with hyper-CVAD.
Keywords: acute lymphoblastic leukemia; asparaginase; hyper‐CVAD; lymphoblastic lymphoma; pediatric‐inspired regimens.
© 2025 The Author(s). American Journal of Hematology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.