title: Reasons for optimism in the therapy of acute leukemia.
abstract: Distinct progress has been made in recent years in the therapy of acute leukemia. For acute myeloid leukemia (AML), this progress has been anchored in the increased understanding of genomic complexity. Multiple targets and the relationships among them pose new challenges along with new possibilities for the development of targeted therapies. A number of new drugs are in early clinical development for AML, one of which centers on the role of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) in malignancy. Epigenetic modulation, intracellular pathways, and the microenvironment are all being explored for possible therapies to treat AML. Dramatic clinical progress has also been made in therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with the rapid approval of blinatumomab, a bispecific T-cell engager antibody. Yet caution must also be exercised-not every mutation is an epigenetic target and early publication of clinical data is often misleading. Until the survival outcome for adult patients with acute leukemia improves, further inquiry into the biology of the disease and progress in the development of new therapies are needed.
authors.affiliation: Technion, Israel Instittue of Technology, 31096 Haifa, Israel; Rambam Health Care Campus, Department of Hematology, Haifa, Israel; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Department of Hematology, Jerusalem 91031, Israel. Electronic address: rowe@rambam.health.gov.il.
authors.forename: Jacob M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rowe
mesh_terms: D018033:Antibodies, Bispecific / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D007521:Isocitrate Dehydrogenase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009154:Mutation; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018033:Antibodies, Bispecific; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C510808:blinatumomab; D007521:Isocitrate Dehydrogenase; C543588:IDH1 protein, human
keywords: AG-221; ALL; AML; Acute Leukemia Forum; Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Acute myeloid leukemia; Blinatumomab; Epigenetics; IDH; Isocitrate dehydrogenase; Mutations; Targeted therapy