We conclude that TEL gene status should be incorporated into risk classification schemes and suggest that patients who have standard-risk features, the TEL-AML1 fusion, and rapid early responses to therapy, should be treated with antimetabolite-based therapy designed to maintain their high cure rates and avoid late effects..     ///     To prospectively determine the prognostic significance of the TEL-AML1 fusion in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). 