The Biology and Treatment of Myeloid Leukaemias

Abstract

There has been progress in the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and remissions are achievable; however, the presence of chemoresistent blast cells leads to most patients relapsing, and relapse is difficult to treat and thus patients die due to their disease. Targeting these resistent cells and the leukaemia stem cells, which sustain the leukaemia, is crucial for an effective therapy for AML. Differentiation therapy, using all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), an inducer of granulocyte differentiation, has been highly successful in the case of acute promyeloicytic leukaemia, a sub-type of AML, turning this disease into a curable malignancy. Clinical trials of ATRA in other types of AML have resulted in conflicting results. This Special Issue of IJMS is interested in articles that provide insights into the underlying defects in AML, the biology of AML, the nature of leukaemia stem cells, myeloid cell differentiation, and new therapies, including the treatment of disease relapse.