Treatment breakthroughs for the management of acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract

SUMMARY Although there has been substantial improvement in the survival of younger patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) since the 1970s, over the past two decades subsequent gains have been modest. Survival rates in older patients with AML remain dismal and have seen minimal change since the advent of modern induction chemotherapy. However, over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the development of new therapies that have promising potential to further improve survival in both older and younger patients with AML. In this review, we will examine recent and ongoing breakthroughs in genetic discovery and gene profiling, intensification of induction chemotherapy, the development of novel agents, the management of older adults and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. We will also discuss exciting advances in the management of acute promyelocytic leukemia; a disease that is now imminently curable.