title: Advances and potential treatment for Philadelphia chromosome-positive adult acute lymphoid leukaemia.
abstract: Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common subtype of ALL in adults. Conventional chemotherapy-based approaches that are effective in other precursor B cell ALL cases have a poor chances of cure in patients with a Ph+ diagnosis. Therefore, allogeneic stem cell transplantation performed during the first remission is the recommended therapy. Recently, the availability of imatinib mesylate and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors and small molecules that affect the BCR/ABL signalling pathways has introduced a new therapeutic opportunity, and could change the treatment paradigm and prognosis for these patients. In this article, the results from clinical trials using imatinib in relapsed/refractory patients and as front-line therapy are described. In addition, preliminary experiences with novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors in imatinib-resistant Ph+ ALL are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Haematology and Medical Oncology, L. and A. Seràgnoli, S. Orsola Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. pierpaolo.piccaluga@unibo.it
authors.forename: Pier Paolo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Piccaluga
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rondoni
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Visani
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baccarani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000639:trends; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends