Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL): A Review of the Classic and Emerging Target Therapies towards Molecular Heterogeneity

Abstract

The occurrence of severe bleeding syndrome because of the PML-RARα fusion protein is a life-threatening event in APL. This protein destabilizes homeostasis, maturation, remodeling, and tissue regeneration in addition to hampering the maintenance and differentiation of hematopoietic cells into different lineages, fixing cells in the promyelocyte stage. APL is a classic example of how effective targeted therapy is and, therefore, how important the use of such therapy is to the overall survival of patients, which in this case is represented by the use of ATRA/ATO. Despite that, about 10% of cases of APL patients demonstrate resistance to treatment. Facing this scenario, we point out promising target therapies such as those recommended by the NCCN and Leukemia Net. Since this is such a heterogeneous molecular disease, it is of great importance to understand how important combined chemotherapy, target therapy, immune-based therapy, and combined therapies are in the survival of these APL patients.

Keywords

• acute promyelocytic leukemia
• target therapy
• genetic heterogeneity