3141. The treatment of acute leukaemia.
Developments in supportive care, new regimens for induction of remission and consolidation therapy, and bone-marrow transplantation have improved the outlook for patients with acute leukaemia. The outlook, though, is influenced by age and factors related to the biology of the disease. In acute myeloid leukaemia age is such an important factor that it determines approach to therapy. Overcoming resistance to chemotherapy is an area that needs much attention.
3143. Molecular genetics of acute leukaemia.
The outlook for patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia has improved vastly with the use of all-trans retinoic acid. The development of this therapeutic agent stemmed from the finding that an abnormality of the retinoic acid receptor is involved in this disease. In the search for other molecular abnormalities in the acute leukaemias that might serve as therapeutic targets, the chromosomal translocations associated with this group of disorders have been helpful in indicating where to look for potential cancer genes. Some common signal-transduction pathways through which different such genes act have been identified, and compounds that interfere with these pathways are already being screened for.
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