New treatments and strategies in acute myeloid leukemia.
Despite considerable progress in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in the past several decades, the prognosis of the majority of patients with this disease remains guarded. Advances in supportive care and better characterization of disease subsets through cytogenetics and molecular analysis have led to significant success in treating specific subsets of patients, such as those with acute promyelocytic leukemia and core binding factor leukemias, particularly among the younger patients who are able to better tolerate the effects of cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, overall, only about 40% of younger patients and <10% of older patients with this disease are alive at 5 years. Current research is focusing on the identification of new cellular targets amenable to specific inhibitors, designing the best strategies for combining these novel agents with traditional chemotherapy regimens, and determining prognostic indicators that may allow us to better stratify therapy.
Department of Leukemia, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. fravandi@mdandesron.org
Farhad
F
Ravandi
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D011379:Prognosis
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents