[Molecular target drugs for AML--current state and prospects for the future].

Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) is a disease which may be completely cured by intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation. However, the prognoses are poor in elderly, refractory or recurrence cases. Molecular targeted drugs have been expected to improve the prognoses of patients with various cancers, but there are few kinds of molecular target drugs for AML. On the other hand, excellent drug exists such as tretinoin for acute promyelocytic leukemia. Molecular mechanisms have been elucidated in AML cells, and the molecules which can be the good target of the treatment have been identified. Novel molecular target drugs are also expected.