Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Infants: A Distinctive, High-Risk Subtype of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in infants younger than 1 year of age is an aggressive, high-risk subtype of childhood ALL. Infant ALL with KMT2A-r is characteristically poorly responsive to chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. New strategies, such as molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies, are in development and show promise in preclinical models and early phase studies.

Citation:
Breese EH, Kotecha RS, Guest EM. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Infants: A Distinctive, High-Risk Subtype of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In: Litzow MR, Raetz EA, editors. Clinical Management of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: From Bench to Bedside. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2022. p. 135-48.

Keywords:
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Infant; KMT2A; MLL

Abstract:
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in infants younger than 1 year of age is an aggressive, high-risk subtype of childhood ALL. Infant ALL with KMT2A-r is characteristically poorly responsive to chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. New strategies, such as molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies, are in development and show promise in preclinical models and early phase studies.