Biomarker Research (May 2020)

Advances in targeted therapy for acute myeloid leukemia

  • Jifeng Yu,
  • Peter Y. Z. Jiang,
  • Hao Sun,
  • Xia Zhang,
  • Zhongxing Jiang,
  • Yingmei Li,
  • Yongping Song

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40364-020-00196-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal malignancy characterized by genetic heterogeneity due to recurrent gene mutations. Treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy has been the standard of care for more than half of a century. Although much progress has been made toward improving treatment related mortality rate in the past few decades, long term overall survival has stagnated. Exciting developments of gene mutation-targeted therapeutic agents are now changing the landscape in AML treatment. New agents offer more clinical options for patients and also confer a more promising outcome. Since Midostaurin, a FLT3 inhibitor, was first approved by US FDA in 2017 as the first gene mutation-targeted therapeutic agent, an array of new gene mutation-targeted agents are now available for AML treatment. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances in gene mutation-targeted therapies for patients with AML.

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