Eviction from the Sanctuary: Development of Targeted Therapy Against Cell Adhesion Molecules in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant hematological disease afflicting hematopoiesis in the bone marrow. While 80-90% of patients diagnosed with ALL will achieve complete remission at some point during treatment, ALL is associated with high relapse rate, with the 5-year overall survival rate of 68%. The initial remission failure and the high rate of relapse can be attributed to intrinsic chemoprotective mechanisms that allow persistence of ALL cells despite therapy. These mechanisms are mediated, at least in part, through the engagement of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) within the bone marrow microenvironment.

Source: Seminars in Oncology - July 10, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Sonali P. Barwe, Anthony Quagliano, Anilkumar Gopalakrishnapillai Source Type: research