Charles Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MSc, MD, from St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, discusses the novel and interesting approaches for first-line therapy, in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients treatments given to those who have relapsed. The monoclonal antibody, rituximab, has been found to increase survival rates in adult ALL patients, and reduce allergic reactions to the chemotherapeutic agent, asparaginase. As a therapy targeted towards a specific mutation, kinase inhibitors have been found to be effective in ALL subtypes such as BCR-ABL-positive ALL and Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL. Dr Mullighan also emphasizes the need to use different immunotherapy techniques upon poor treatment response demonstrated by high minimal residual disease levels, and not after relapse has already occurred. Recorded at the 2018 European School of Hematology (ESH) Clinical Updates on Acute Leukemias, held in Budapest, Hungary.
