In the Pipeline—Emerging Therapy for ALL

Abstract

<p>Despite medical advances in recent decades with improvement in survival rates (Lenk et al., Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2020;39:173–87; Meyer and Hermiston. Cancer Drug Resist. 2019;2: 313–25), decreased treatment tolerance, persistent minimal residual disease positivity, and subsequent disease recurrence remain issues of concern (Scheffold et al. Venetoclax: targeting BCL2 in hematological cancers. Cham: Springer; 2018. pp. 215–42). Relapses often confer a dismal prognosis with poor outcome. In addition, not all patients possess the capacity to withstand intensive chemotherapy or receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) due to old age, frail state, or the presence of comorbidities (Sas et al. J Clin Med. 2019;8:1175). Therefore, novel therapies with better safety profile and higher efficacy are of paramount importance in improving relapse rates, disease response, and preventing chemoresistance. We review the novel agents targeting different pathways, receptors, or systems involved in the leukemogenesis of ALL.<br></p>