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Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Toward Personalized Medicine

  • Hematology/Oncology (C Cole, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Remarkable improvements in survival rates have made childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) a success story within pediatric oncology. The excellent outcomes for many patients with ALL have resulted in part from risk stratification based on well-established clinical and disease features of prognostic significance. Despite the progress that has been observed, relapses occur unpredictably, and treatment can be associated with acute and long-term toxicity. This has prompted efforts to better tailor ALL therapy in individual patients. In recent years, there has been a growing expansion in our knowledge of underlying disease biology as well as inherent patient characteristics, and this has contributed to a movement toward more personalized ALL therapy. In this article, we have focused on examples of how comprehensive genomic analyses are being utilized to individualize childhood ALL treatment as well as how these analyses may be further leveraged in the future.

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Jennifer L. McNeer and Elizabeth A. Raetz declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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  1. Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, 5841 S Maryland Ave, MC 4060, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Jennifer L. McNeer

  2. Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, 100 N. Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84113, USA

    Elizabeth A. Raetz

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Correspondence to Elizabeth A. Raetz.

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McNeer, J.L., Raetz, E.A. Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Toward Personalized Medicine. Curr Pediatr Rep 3, 111–118 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40124-015-0078-8

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