Join Dan Douer, MD and Jae Park, MD from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as they present their multidisciplinary expertise on a range of cases pertaining to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

ALL is a heterogeneous hematologic disease characterized by the proliferation of immature lymphoid cells in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and other organs. The NCCN Guidelines stratify patients with ALL by the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome and then by age, with adolescents and young adults defined as those between the ages of 15 and 39 years and adults defined as 40 years of age and older. The NCCN Guidelines further classify ALL subtypes based on immunophenotype and cytogenetic/molecular markers; risk assessment and stratification for risk-adapted therapy; and supportive care considerations.

There are subsets of patients for whom current treatment options remain ineffective. Survival outcomes are poor when the disease is relapsed/refractory, and even in patients with relapsed/refractory disease who achieve a complete response, the majority will not be durable. Therefore, improvement in the treatment options for this subset of patients with ALL is necessary.