Challenges and opportunities for improvement in the practical management of adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

As our approaches to the management of adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have become more effective, they have introduced new administrative complexities. These include challenges pertaining to medication administration and financial implications of treatment choices. Because approximately half of these patients are typically treated outside of larger referral centers, these difficulties are being passed on to clinicians in settings that rarely encounter this complex disease. Instead of an evidence-focused review on contemporary management of ALL in adults, this article seeks to highlight how some of these important medical advances may be difficult to operationalize outside of high-volume centers. It will also attempt to identify areas in which clinicians and investigators might consider modifying their respective approaches to mitigate how the realities of modern medical care may affect our ability to optimally manage these patients now and in the future.