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New Therapeutic Strategies in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

  • Acute Lymphocytic Leukemias (K Ballen, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Most drugs used in standard regimens for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were developed more than 30 years ago. Since that time, several new drugs have been developed and incorporated into ALL treatment. In spite of this, novel therapeutic approaches are still needed to improve outcomes for high-risk or relapsed ALL. This manuscript discusses newer treatment strategies, including purine nucleoside analogs, monoclonal antibodies, antibody drug conjugates, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, proteasome inhibitors, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, hypomethylating agents, spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors, Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) inhibitors, anti-programmed cell death protein (anti-PD-1) antibodies, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitors, CXCR4 antagonists, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitors. Additionally, this manuscript discusses the impact of diagnostic approaches on management of ALL. Specifically, minimal residual disease is increasingly felt to be important and will likely dramatically impact the care of ALL patients in the near future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Virginia Health System, 1300 Jefferson Park Avenue, Room 6023, PO Box 800716, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA

    Louise M. Man & Michael Keng

  2. Department of Pharmacy Services, University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA

    Amy L. Morris

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  1. Louise M. Man
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  2. Amy L. Morris
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Correspondence to Michael Keng.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Acute Lymphocytic Leukemias

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Man, L.M., Morris, A.L. & Keng, M. New Therapeutic Strategies in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Curr Hematol Malig Rep 12, 197–206 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11899-017-0380-3

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