Future of Therapy in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)--Potential Role of Immune-Based Therapies

Partow Kebriaei1, Michelle Limei Poon

  • 1Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA, pkebriae@mdanderson.org.

The prognosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults remains poor, and novel treatment options are needed to improve outcomes. Immunotherapeutic strategies have been a recent focus in this area, targeting specific surface antigens on the ALL blast cells. Our review concentrates on four major class of antibody therapies, namely, (1) naked and unconjugated antibodies, (2) immunoconjugates and immunotoxins, (3) bi-specific T cell engaging (BiTE) therapy, and (4) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) expressing T cells. We review preclinical and clinical data, and update on the latest advances in this exciting field, and suggest how these therapies can be incorporated into the treatment algorithm for ALL.

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