Current and emerging therapeutic approaches for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Br J Haematol. 2021 Jul;194(1):28-43. doi: 10.1111/bjh.17310. Epub 2021 May 3.

Abstract

T-cell ALL (T-ALL) is an aggressive malignancy of T-cell progenitors. Although survival outcomes in T-ALL have greatly improved over the past 50 years, relapsed and refractory cases remain extremely challenging to treat and those who cannot tolerate intensive treatment continue to have poor outcomes. Furthermore, T-ALL has proven a more challenging immunotherapeutic target than B-ALL. In this review we explore our expanding knowledge of the basic biology of T-ALL and how this is paving the way for repurposing established treatments and the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: leukaemia; novel treatments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological / therapeutic use
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Arabinonucleosides / therapeutic use
  • Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / therapeutic use
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Genetic Heterogeneity
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive
  • Janus Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Neoplasm Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / drug therapy
  • Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics
  • Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / therapy*
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptor, Notch1 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptors, Interleukin-7 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Salvage Therapy / methods
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Sulfonamides / therapeutic use
  • Therapies, Investigational / methods
  • Therapies, Investigational / trends
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological
  • Arabinonucleosides
  • Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic
  • Janus Kinase Inhibitors
  • NOTCH1 protein, human
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Receptor, Notch1
  • Receptors, Interleukin-7
  • Sulfonamides
  • nelarabine
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases
  • venetoclax