[Advance of study on demethylation in leukemia - review]

DNA methylation is a frequent change in epigenetics of leukemia. In the development of leukemia, methylation plays an important role in the genetic expression regulation and genetic structure stabilization. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and chemotherapy are the common methods to cure leukemia at present. Unfortunately, it is very hard to find suitable donor for transplantation, while the relapse and drug resistance are the unresolved problems in chemotherapy. Because of the reversibility of methylation, the drugs reducing the level of methylation become a new way to cure leukemia. Decitabine is the most common medicament used to reduce the level of methylation. In this article, the methylation and tumor, methylation and hematologic diseases, methylation detection methods, demethylation therapy in leukemia and so on are reviewed.