Recent advances and novel treatment paradigms in acute lymphocytic leukemia

This is an exciting time in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) given the advances in the relapsed/refractory setting. The development of antibody treatments (including antibody drug conjugates with toxins) offers a different treatment approach compared with conventional chemotherapy regimens. Moreover, the use of bispecific T-cell-engager antibodies (BiTEs) such as blinatumomab harness the cytotoxic activity of T cells against CD19-positive lymphoblasts. Another strategy involves the use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. CAR T cells have demonstrated promising results in the relapsed/refractory setting. However, the use of BiTEs and CAR T cells is also associated with a distinct set of adverse reactions that must be taken into account by the treating physician. Apart from the above strategies, the use of other targeted therapies has attracted interest. Namely, the discovery of the Philadelphia (Ph)-like signature in children and young adults with ALL has led to the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in these patients. The different drugs and strategies that are being tested in the relapsed/refractory ALL setting pose a unique challenge in identifying the optimum sequence of treatment and determining which approaches should be considered for frontline treatment.