[Present status of individualized therapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the commonest pediatric malignancy caused by the disturbed differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. Due to the effective measure of individualized therapy, the outcome of ALL therapy has been improved dramatically in recent decades. The reduction of treatment intensity in favorable patient groups decreases acute and long-term toxicity, only for the high-risk groups the intensive chemotherapy is of value, and the different therapies should be used, depending on their different biologic features.Even with intensive therapy or new drugs, the outcome of relapsed ALL remains poor, the treatment could be turned to the molecularly defined targeted drugs and stem cell transplantation. What is more, the progress in the detection technique for minimal residual disease and pharmacogenomics help to estimate the sensitivity of chemotherapy and judge the prognosis, so as to provide the reliable objective foundation for the individualized therapy.In this review, the present states of individualized therapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia is discussed and summarized.