Modern trends in bone marrow transplantation for acute myeloid and acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms of hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis in the clinical management of acute myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemia has led to an improvement in survival from what were invariably fatal diseases. Bone marrow transplantation is increasingly becoming an accepted form of therapy for acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia in certain situations. This review seeks to address some of the recent advances and controversies including whether bone marrow transplantation is more efficacious than modern intensive chemotherapy, the role of autologous bone marrow transplantation and matched-unrelated donor transplants, the graft-versus-leukemia effect, and the role of purging in autologous bone marrow transplantation. Furthermore, advances in supportive therapy including the introduction of hematopoietic growth factors is critically evaluated. Finally, the appropriate timing and role of bone marrow transplantation is discussed in the context of previous ongoing and future clinical trials.