Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Pediatric Leukemia: History and Current Status.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) block the activity of tyrosine kinases by competitive inhibition of ATP at the catalytic tyrosine kinase binding site and inhibit oncogenic signaling. One important target of TKIs is BCR-ABL1, which is constitutively activated in leukemia cells. In this review, we briefly describe the development of TKIs from the first generation to the third generation, and summarize their use in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children. We highlight several future directions in the development of TKIs for pediatric leukemia therapy. In conclusion, we focus on chronic myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia as the examples of pediatric blood cancer that significantly benefit from TKIs-based target therapy. Further development of TKIs will allow us to better manage pediatric leukemia.